My Gentleman Hero
by Fire Bear1
Summary: When Alfred was little, his next door neighbour Arthur introduced him to the concept of heroes. Now, years later, Alfred is saved by one of the heroes he admires, The Gentleman. Not only that, he meets up with Arthur after years of being apart - but he seems more distant than before.
1. When You Were Young

**_I hope you like this one. Currently, I have no real direction for this other than I might want to bring other characters into it. As it is, I'm going to see what happens._  
**

**_I'm not too clued up on the US and its suburbs or city blocks of flats and stuff. So the descriptions are from films/TV and guesswork._**

* * *

Alfred grew up an only child, living with his parents in a comfortable environment in a suburb. He was a cute little boy in everyone's eyes; he was angelic to most people. His blonde hair with the constant cowlick and the brilliant, sparkling blue eyes drew people in. With a lisp and a matter-of-fact way of speaking, he made the adults melt.

He was also popular with the local kids. They would play ball and other games in their back yards. Talking in their own strange language, the adults would watch and laugh.

One year, during the summer, the kids Alfred played with jetted off on holiday. He felt rather lonely on his own and so he would watch the cars go by in the front yard. One day whilst he was doing this, he spotted a removal truck pulling up in front of the house next door: it had been empty for as long as he could remember. Curiously, he watched as a car drew up behind it and a man and woman got out. They both had dark hair and seemed happy to be out of the car. They stretched and laughed before calling on someone else. The door at the back opened and a boy jumped out.

He looked like he was a few years older than Alfred, a bored expression on his face. His blonde hair was short and messy and he was wearing a plain white t-shirt with a pair of smart black trousers. His eyebrows were larger than normal from Alfred's perspective but, as he was so young, it didn't bother him. He glanced around and Alfred backed away, using the fence as a shield, nervous of these strangers spotting him spying.

After waiting for a few moments, Alfred snuck to the end of the fence and peered round into their yard. A pair of green eyes stared back.

With a yelp, Alfred fell backwards, hitting the ground hard enough to scrape his elbow. He winced at the pain but, because he was a big boy, held back the tears as best he could as he sat up. The green-eyed boy watched him – he was not smiling.

"H-Hi?" said Alfred, nervously.

"Hello," said the boy.

"U-Um. Alfred," he said, holding out his hand for a handshake, copying what he had seen his dad do. The other boy watched him and held out his. For a moment, Alfred stared at him. Then he realised that he was too far away to shake his hand. He scrambled to his feet and hurried over, grabbing the kid's hand and shaking it, almost jerking him over the invisible line which separated Alfred's yard from the boy's.

"Arthur," said the other boy. "I just moved in."

Alfred was enthralled. Not only did he have a weird voice, he said things like a grown-up. He never quite realised that Arthur was just copying his own father. "You sound weird!" he exclaimed loudly.

"I come from England," said Arthur. "I'm English."

"Engwish! Awesome!" he grinned at the other boy.

"English," Arthur corrected him.

"Hey! Wanna pway?" asked Alfred, wanting someone to keep him company.

Arthur glanced towards the house before nodding himself. Alfred leaned around him and spotted the boy's mother, smiling down at Arthur. He waved at her and she waved back, laughing. Then he grabbed the English boy's hand and dragged him to the gate which led to the backyard. There Alfred showed Arthur his swing set and the slide and the jungle gym and the balls and the tricycles and all manner of other toys. Arthur silently watched him.

"So? What you wanna pway wif?" asked Alfred excitedly.

"Um…" said Arthur, quietly. "I want to play… pirates and marines."

"Huh? Whassat?"

"Well, I'll pretend I'm a famous pirate captain and you can be the admiral of the navy trying to catch me."

"I don't geddit…"

"Have you never played a game about being heroes and villains? This is that."

Alfred frowned. A hero. What was a hero? When he asked Arthur, he blinked in surprise before laughing. It was a sweet laugh; Alfred had the sense that he didn't use it very often. He blushed, a little annoyed that he was being laughed at. He pouted at Arthur who laughed a little more before sitting down on the grass. Alfred followed suit.

"I'll tell you some stories with heroes and villains but what you have to understand before I do is that a hero is someone who is good and saves people while a villain does the opposite."

Then began an afternoon that Alfred never forgot, as much as he would say he didn't. Arthur spun beautiful tales of princesses and princes; wizards and witches; sorcerers and monsters; fairies and unicorns. Alfred sat enthralled, gaping at Arthur. It was as though he could see the events unfolding in front of him. Whenever Arthur stopped for breath, Alfred bounced closer asking what happened next. Arthur would laugh at his eagerness and plough on with new aplomb.

All too soon there was a cough and Alfred turned and blinked as he refocused on his mother. Arthur's mum was there too, smiling down at her son. Alfred instantly knew what this meant and let out an "Aww!" as Arthur stood up. "Hey, hey!" he added, grabbing hold of Arthur's trouser leg. "Can we pway again tomowwow?

Arthur hesitated. Then he nodded, a smile spreading across his face. Then he ran off to his mother who laughed and hoisted him up to carry him home despite his protests.

They continued to play make-believe adventures for the rest of the summer. Arthur also told more of his stories while Alfred listened avidly. Arthur also encouraged Alfred to tell his own stories but he wasn't as good as Arthur. Arthur would always ask for more details and this would fluster Alfred, unaware that Arthur was trying to help him to bring more life to them.

Then one of Alfred's friends came home and he hurried off to visit them without thinking of Arthur. He did when he returned home and his mother told him that Arthur had visited. A little alarmed, he toddled next door - under the watchful eye of his mother – and knocked. There was no answer and he couldn't see their car. He went back to his porch and watched for their return.

When the car pulled up, Alfred could see Arthur staring out at him. He looked sad instead of his usual smile – for he smiled whenever he saw Alfred. Alfred wondered if he had hurt himself and hurried over when he opened the car door.

"Arfur?" he asked him. "You 'kay?"

Arthur glanced at his mother and father who told him to be inside the house in five minutes. Arthur nodded his agreement and looked to Alfred. Once the grown-ups were out of earshot, Arthur spoke.

"I'm fine. You weren't around so my parents took me to a comic book shop."

"Comic book?"

Arthur nodded and reached into a plastic bag that Alfred had failed to notice him holding. "Here," he said, holding out what looked like a book. Alfred took it and looked at the man on the front who seemed to be flying through the air.

"Can't read," he said, frowning at Arthur.

"Most of it is pictures. Tomorrow, I can read it to you and you can learn to read. If you're not busy."

Alfred nodded. "Of course!"

The next day, Alfred showed his friend the comic book and took him to his backyard. They waited for Arthur and, when he showed, Alfred was rather confused as to why he seemed to be a little moodier than usual. However, he patiently read his way through the book and, when he came to the end, Alfred demanded more. Arthur shook his head.

"You need to wait for the next issue."

And so, as Alfred grew, he became more and more interested in superheroes as he bought issue after issue of comics. He and Arthur still played with each other but their interests began to differ and they started to drift apart. This was especially so when it was obvious that Arthur didn't get on well with Alfred's other friends.

Finally, three years later, the day came that Arthur was to move. He hadn't told Alfred and so the young American was shocked to see the removal van outside. He rushed out and to the other house, getting in the way of some men carrying their television. He followed the familiar path to Arthur's room and found the boy sitting on the bed looking miserably out of the window.

"Arthur!" yelled Alfred, an angry tone to his voice. Arthur gasped in surprise and turned, blinking as he saw Alfred standing in the doorway, a little out of breath. "What's going on?!"

Arthur looked as though he was holding back tears. "My dad is getting a new job again. We're moving back to England."

"NO!" yelled Alfred. He crossed the room in a few strides and leapt on top of Arthur, hugging him tightly. Arthur looked shocked that the American was crying, too. "Y-You can't go!" Alfred sobbed. "Y-You're my friend! You're the one who told me about heroes! Y-You-You're my hero!"

Arthur looked shocked for a few more seconds before smiling. It was a smile that Alfred didn't think suited him. It made him look older. The older boy patted Alfred's head and hugged him until he fell asleep.

When the younger boy awoke, he was in his own bed. He sat up quickly and felt the paper under his hand. He picked it up and looked at it before frowning a little. Using his comic books as references, he soon deciphered the note:

_You are my hero, Alfred. I wish you every happiness. Just remember, you can do anything if you put your mind to it._

_Farewell._

_Arthur_

Alfred cried himself back to sleep that night amongst his comic books, clutching the farewell letter.

* * *

Alfred grew up, relishing his comic books all the more. However, he soon pushed the memory of Arthur to the back of his mind, sure he would be doing well in his homeland.

Alfred wished he could have superpowers and save the girl. He often wondered where he would build his secret hideout. He even built a tree house with his father at one point, declaring it his headquarters. Then, when Alfred started to prepare for college, he heard the rumours. Rumours of people deciding to become superheroes. They didn't seem to have superpowers but they would dress up and save people from crimes the best they could. A lot of the time, these heroes were beaten up. A lot more, however, were succeeding. Alfred watched the news with increasing interest.

Then, suddenly, heroes with actual powers appeared. Not just heroes – villains, too. Fire and ice battles began to take place along with other sort of powers. Alfred watched this in his home on the edge of his seat. Then, later, when he went on the computer in his room, he found the fan clubs. He joined all the heroes' fan clubs, buying merchandise from them.

One of the heroes, however, he was unsure whether to join the club or not. His name was The Gentleman and no-one knew all that much about him except that he had a British accent. Alfred had been sure the site would just be for people who acted gentlemanly – drank tea and ate scones. However, he soon found that this was not the case. The hero had a small following and they all had names about how they were The Gentleman's number one fan. Alfred just used his own Internet handle, HERO .

The night before he was to leave his home for his college, a new member signed up. Their name was The_Gentleman. Alfred and the others were enraged, insulting him, telling him not to pretend to be someone he wasn't. The_Gentleman didn't respond for some time until, suddenly, he sent a message. _But I am not pretending to be someone I am not. I am The Gentleman. For instance, I saved one of you today from a mugging._

One of the girls almost imploded with happiness. She was able to confirm The_Gentleman's story – adding that she had told him excitedly about the site – and so it was that The Gentleman was welcomed into the site. Alfred was ecstatic. He chattered to him, telling him what a fan of heroes he was. Then, suddenly, to Alfred's delight and horror, The Gentleman privately messaged him.

_The_Gentleman: What is your name?_

Panicked, Alfred lied, telling him that his name was Amelia – he didn't want him to know that he was a guy and lame enough to come on this site: most of the members were girls. He explained that he was moving to the city and going to college to study art. The Gentleman wished him luck and then logged off.

* * *

A couple of weeks later, Alfred was heading home from a trip to the comic book store when he heard a noise coming from the alleyway he was passing. He stopped and backed up, peering through the gloom to see what was there. There was a group of people standing around, laughing.

They were laughing at the sight of a girl cowering from them.

Alfred froze. What should he do? He wanted to be a hero but, at the same time, he wasn't entirely sure what he could do.

He made a decision. "Hey! You!" he shouted into the alley, rushing forward. "What do you think you're doing?!" He rammed into the nearest man, knocking him out of the way. "Run!" he exclaimed to the girl now that there was a gap in the circle. She nodded and obeyed, rushing off and out of sight.

Alfred, meanwhile, hesitated. Should he stop them from doing anything else or should he run for it as well? He decided to run – but too late. One of the other men grabbed him and pulled him backwards. He tripped over the felled villain and landed heavily. His glasses flew off his face and he felt his hands scrape against the concrete. Before he could rise again, another man grabbed him and pulled his face towards him by the hair. Alfred could see the blurry outline of his fist as it bore down on him. Pain erupted from his cheek and he spluttered. He tried to pull away but the man's hand kept him from moving. Pain from his stomach alerted Alfred to the other men kicking him. He started to panic and he realised he was crying when the men began to laugh at him.

"Ahem," said a voice, cutting through the noise. Everything stopped and the men seemed to turn. The one holding him let go and Alfred felt around until he found his glasses. They were broken having been stepped on by someone but it served their purpose as he put them back on and looked round.

He gaped at the scene.

There was a man with blonde hair standing there. He was wearing a black suit and tie with an immaculate white shirt. His black shoes shone, reflecting the distant streetlight. He wore a top hat and also had a cape, both black. In his hand was a cane. His eyes were obscured by a black mask.

"The Gentleman!" exclaimed one of the men. "You beat up my friend a while back! Prepare to taste revenge!"

The Gentleman put a hand on his hip. "Of course," he said. "I look forward to it."

With that, the men attacked all at once. There were five of them and The Gentleman seemed to be unfazed. Alfred wanted to shout out, do something, but he realised that he wouldn't be much help. So he watched as The Gentleman surveyed the men coming at him, uninterested.

Suddenly, The Gentleman lifted his cane and brought it crashing down on the leader's head. As the leader fell, unconscious, he kicked one of the other men's knee, causing him to collapse to the floor in agony. He made a swiping motion with the cane and bashed it into another's stomach. He doubled over and The Gentleman kneed him in the face. The other two men stopped, hesitant to continue. One decided to fight and the other ran. The Gentleman jabbed the man in the stomach and then took off his hat and threw it. The heavy hat spun like a Frisbee and hit the man with a glancing blow to his head. He fell heavily and lay still.

Alfred's mouth had fallen open with the simplicity of the way The Gentleman had dealt with them. The hero walked to the man who had been fleeing and retrieved his hat. He walked back to Alfred as he brushed it off. When he reached him, he bowed before straightening and placing his hat on his head.

"Good evening," said his English voice. "May I offer you some assistance?"

"Uh…" said Alfred, awestruck. "I… Uh… Ow…" He lifted a hand and gingerly touched his cheek. It was rather painful and his stomach seemed to be throbbing.

The Gentleman watched him for a moment before proffering his hand. Alfred cautiously reached up and took hold of it and he was pulled to his feet by a strong grip. Alfred found himself staring at The Gentleman, unable to see his eyes under the shadow of his hat. Sirens sounded nearby and Alfred glanced towards the mouth of the alley. The girl must have called the cops.

"I will take you to the hospital-" The Gentleman began.

"Oh, no!" exclaimed Alfred, fearful that his time with the hero would be cut too short. "I'm fine!"

"But you need medical attention."

"I'll be fine – I can take care of this myself!" Alfred tried to grin but winced when the pain hit him.

The man stared at him for a moment before glancing down the alleyway, possibly wondering if the police could take care of the criminals. He sighed and then looked back at Alfred. "Here," he said, holding out a handkerchief. Alfred took it and held it to his cheek. The smell from the cloth was sweet. It was only when he started to feel rather light-headed that he realised what he was breathing in…

* * *

Alfred woke up on a couch. He gasped and sat up before groaning at the throbbing pain in his stomach, face and head. He turned and sat up properly on the couch, cradling his head in his hands. He felt something beneath his fingers and, probing, realised that there was a bandage where he had been hit. Perhaps he had been cut and someone had patched him up.

He blinked and looked around. He was in a bare living room though the marks on the floor and the wall showed that it wasn't normally this empty. There was the couch and a coffee table. A TV faced Alfred and a blanket had fallen to the floor at his feet. As he picked it up, a door opened and he turned to watch The Gentleman enter in full costume. Alfred surged to his feet – and promptly sat back down with a groan.

The Gentleman sighed. "I see you're awake," he said, not speaking his mind. "If the pain persists, go to a hospital. I apologise for knocking you out but I could not let you see my hideout. Now, here." He held out the end of a rope.

Alfred stared at it before taking it gently, reverently. "What is it?"

"Your way out," said The Gentleman. "I am afraid I am very busy so I cannot take you outside." He handed over a black piece of cloth to Alfred – a blindfold. "If you follow the rope, you should come to the front door and be able to get out."

"B-But!" exclaimed Alfred as the man turned to leave. He paused and looked back at him, his hidden eyes boring into him. He blushed a little. "I-I'm a big fan, M-Mr Gentleman, sir! Honest! I-I wanted to ask you some things so I could know you better!"

There was a silence while Alfred hopped impatiently from foot to foot. He wondered if his hero would comply with his request. He didn't want to know his identity, though. All he wanted was to know the answers to some questions he had. But there were so many, he was unsure as to which to ask first…

"I will answer only one question," said the mysterious man.

"Aww!" said Alfred with a pout. "Well, fine! Did you give yourself the name or was it someone else?"

After a slight hesitation, the other spoke. "I never named myself. I stepped in when a man with a gun was trying to force a girl into a car. I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention and he laughed at me for not hitting him whilst he was distracted. I explained that I was too gentlemanly to hit him like that and the girl started calling me that. The name spread. Now, go home."

"Ah, but, do you _like_ the name?"

"I told you I was only answering one question. Get out of here."

"But-!"

"But nothing!" snapped the man, suddenly. Alfred was taken aback and stared at him in shock, still gripping the end of the rope and the blindfold. The Gentleman sighed and took off his hat, running his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. I'm tired. I need some sleep. So I need you to leave."

"Ah!" exclaimed Alfred, excitedly. "Of course! You've been up all night. I'll go right now!" And with that, he fumbled with the blindfold until he had it securely tied around his eyes. He stumbled forward, clutching at the rope. He stumbled in straight lines and in curves and almost fell down some stairs until, finally, he ran out of rope. Then, he fiddled with his blindfold and, once off, he looked round, gripping the cloth tightly.

He appeared to be in front of a row of several apartment blocks, at the bottom of some steps leading up to one. He turned and memorised the number before looking for the rope. He couldn't see any. He frowned. Where had it gone? Had that really all happened? He gazed down at the blindfold in mild disbelief before turning and walking off to find a cab, keeping the blindfold in his hand…

* * *

A week later, Alfred was with Kiku, the only guy whom he had told about his mini adventure. They needed to go to the library to find some books for their mechanical engineering course. Both of them were eager to build robots and the like and they walked in with smiles on their faces as they discussed their projects.

The library was packed.

Although they had found the books they needed, they were unable to take them out as there were not many of them. They began to wander around, trying to find a table. Suddenly, Alfred found a space at the end of a large table. "Hey! What about there?" he asked in his normal volume.

Kiku followed his gaze before shaking his head with a frown. "Gomen, Alfred-kun. We cannot sit there. _He_ does not like people interrupting him."

Now, Alfred followed his gaze and spotted a messy, blonde-haired man poring over a pile of books. He was wearing a black shirt with a pair of dark jeans. He was scribbling on a notebook, the pen looping effortlessly across the paper. He seemed to sense Alfred's staring and looked up, his green eyes widening as he seemed to recognise him. Alfred also seemed to recognise him – those large eyebrows of his were awfully familiar. Finally, he remembered and rushed over, Kiku's protest going unnoticed for the moment.

"Arthur?!" exclaimed Alfred, excitedly. "Dude! I thought I'd never see you again! What're you doing in America? Shouldn't you be back in England?"

For a moment, Arthur looked confused before his eyes widened further. "Alfred?" he gasped. "You-You… You're so tall!"

Alfred laughed loudly and a few students looked round. He sat down opposite Arthur and Kiku nervously bowed before sitting as well. "Is that all you have to say after all these years?"

"Ah, well." Arthur glanced away, sheepish. "I… I suppose I should apologise: I never left you any way to contact me. But I knew I'd be moving around a lot and so…"

"Ah, don't worry about it! I mean, it's not as if it mattered to me very much. I was young. I had friends. I could make new ones. But, hey! It was fun while it lasted."

Arthur stared at him in disbelief. "W-What…? But…"

"Hey, this is Kiku. Me and him are doing an engineering course together. What about you?"

"Oh…" said Arthur, glancing down at his books. "I'm doing an English and Creative Writing course. It's quite good, even if Americans use the wrong English."

Alfred frowned. "I always hated English. It was so _annoying_."

Arthur bristled. "If you wouldn't _mind_, I have an important paper due. We can talk later." He waved his hand as if in dismissal.

Alfred looked bemused. They had only just seen each other again and he wanted to find out what the Englishman had been up to; he had reckoned that Arthur would think the same. So why was he trying to get rid of him? Alfred studied his former friend. His brow was furrowed deeper than he remembered. He didn't seem to have any laughter lines and his eyes seemed to be darker than they had been, as if they had lost their light. What had happened to him in the time they had spent apart?

"Okay…" muttered Alfred, a little sadly. He took out a pen from his bag and leaned across the table before writing at the top of Arthur's page, upside down to the Englishman. "This is my number," he said, by way of explanation. "We should meet up sometime, okay?" When he stood up, he could see Arthur's affronted look. He seemed to be trying to say something but was too angry to do so. Then Alfred walked away having spotted a recently vacated table. Kiku followed, bowing to Arthur as he did so.


	2. Cold as Ice

_**I've just realised that Alfred's online name isn't working on here as much as I'd hoped. I tried looking for a wee star on Word or Libre Office (I can't remember if I wrote this when things actually worked on my laptop) but couldn't find one to insert. Instead, I decided to use wee smiling faces. Unfortunately, they don't show up. So, it should be: :)HERO:) Although, that just looks stupid.**_

_**I apologise in advance for the really thick accents appearing in this chapter. And any subsequent chapters. You might be able to figure out why, I dunno, but I do know there's a particular reason.**_

_**I'm going to also apologise in advance for Alfred being rather excitable. Even if he totally would be.**_

* * *

Alfred was so excited to have actually – somehow – convinced Arthur to meet up with him. The day after he had given the Brit his number, he had received a hesitant call asking to meet up and "have a chat". Alfred had agreed and they arranged to meet in a café close to their college campus the next day.

He was so ecstatic that he went online to talk to his friends while he regaled Kiku with his stories of Arthur. He played a bigger role in them, though, as he told it from his point of view. Kiku looked at him with an amused expression which caused Alfred to blush a little and look away.

When he logged onto The Gentleman's Fans' Site, he discovered a private message waiting for him. His eyes widened with surprise and pleasure and he drummed his fingers as he waited for it to load.

_The_Gentleman: I was wondering how you are getting along with your studies. How is it, being in a new city, Amelia?_

Alfred almost made a noise in a pitch a lot higher than a man should reach. He calmed himself and replied.

_HERO :It's going great! So awesome! I think I saw you one night!_

Alfred hesitated – should he send that? Would that make him paranoid? Would he figure out who he was? He stared at the screen with his mouse over the send button, his finger softly touching the mouse. Suddenly, he was nudged and he heard the click as his finger hit the mouse. He gasped and turned round to Kiku who had just tapped him on the elbow.

"Ah, gommenasai, Alfred-kun. I just wanted to let you know that I am leaving for the night."

"Ah! Right! Yeah, be careful, 'kay?" Alfred grinned at him. Kiku bowed his head slightly and left. Alfred turned back to his computer and stared at the sight of a new message waiting for him. Opening it, he found that The Gentleman had swiftly replied.

_The_Gentleman: That is good. However, I suggest you try to avoid the areas where I am present as much as possible, Amelia – I do not want to see an innocent woman being hurt by the sort of people I interact with on a daily basis._

Alfred felt his heart skip a beat. The Gentleman was worried about him. He was such a good guy. A great hero. A talented fighter. A sweet talker.

He was definitely the best hero around.

And the best thing was that he could talk to him as a friend online.

_HERO : I will! Thanks! Hey, you'll never believe what! I found an old friend of mine! He's English, too! We're gonna meet up tomorrow. I can't wait to find out what he's been up to after all these years!_

Alfred waited anxiously for his reply and, finally, he received it.

_The_Gentleman: That is brilliant, Amelia. I hope you have a good time tomorrow. Do you think that, perhaps, you will develop an intimate relationship again?_

Alfred blushed deeply. He seemed to be asking whether he was going to fall in love with Arthur. As if! Ah, though, he did realise that he perhaps was referring to movies he had seen where that sort of thing would happen. But Alfred was a man so the answer was no. He felt a pang of guilt for pretending to be a girl to this sincere man.

_HERO : Nah, I don't think so, lol! He's way too serious! Besides, I have my eye on someone else! ;)_

Alfred had decided to add the last bit to make it seem more like he was a girl – he had seen the flirtatious way the other girls interacted with The Gentleman in the main chat. He wondered how the hero would react. He found himself half-hoping that he would say something favourable back. He blushed and rolled his eyes. What on Earth was he thinking? Wow, was he fanboying hard!

There was a movement on the screen which caught his eye and he realised that he had another message. He smiled and hurriedly clicked on it.

_The_Gentleman: Ah, well, I wish you all the best in _that_ particular relationship. _

Alfred chuckled. He was a really nice guy. He just wished he could get to know him better – he thought he would be fun to hang out with.

* * *

Alfred practically bounded into the café and grinned when he spotted Arthur waiting. He had a cup of tea sitting in front of him, the bag lying on the saucer. A rather large and heavy-looking book was in his hands and he seemed to be rather absorbed in it. Glancing at the clock, Alfred realised that he was twenty minutes late – he hoped Arthur wasn't the kind of person to be annoyed at his terrible time-keeping, though he had the feeling he was.

With another grin, he slipped into the chair opposite him and surveyed the place. It looked like a stereotypical café. A counter showing off the cakes behind which stood some waitresses making coffee. There was a hatch to the kitchen so the cooks could hand over food. The place was rather bigger than he had first thought and a lot of metal tables were squeezed in. Arthur had chosen one that was in the middle of the room. Alfred thought that was probably because he didn't want to look shifty while he waited and also didn't want to appear to be looking for Alfred.

Realising that Arthur was too absorbed in his book to notice Alfred. He grinned and tried to think of the best way to make Arthur jump. Something which would be priceless but also original. A thought occurred to him and his grin widened. He slipped off one of his shoes and used his foot to slowly rub against Arthur's leg.

The reaction was priceless and had Alfred laughing. Arthur gasped, jolted and dropped his book, almost knocking over his cup of tea in the process. He cursed as he caught his breath and glared at Alfred. As he closed his book to put it into his bag, he spoke.

"Why can't you just say hello like a normal person?"

"Why can't you just stop working for five minutes?" Alfred retorted. He had the feeling the book was part of Arthur's course work. He slipped his shoe back on. Meanwhile, Arthur sighed and rolled his eyes. He picked up his tea and took a sip before pulling a face. It had gone cold and he ordered another one while Alfred decided on a coffee. There was a silence while they waited for them. Alfred wanted to break it but Arthur was staring out of the window now. The younger man bit his lip. Perhaps he should have just said hello instead of pulling a prank on him.

His old friend finally spoke, however, after he had had a sip of his tea. "Well... It really is good to see you after all these years."

"Yeah!" exclaimed Alfred happily. "How've you been? Anything major happen?"

Arthur looked at him blankly. Alfred wondered if he was weighing up whether to say anything or not. "I guess... there _have_ been some 'major' things."

Alfred looked at him over the top of his coffee mug. Something was wrong. Something wasn't right. Was it because he didn't seem to want to talk? Or was there something else wrong? He frowned, trying to work it out. "You moved here, huh? I thought you'd be more likely to go to college somewhere in England."

"Well, yes, of course. I _did_ try. But..." Arthur sighed and took another sip of his tea. Alfred wondered if perhaps he wanted to change the subject or if it was something confidential. Perhaps his parents had died. Alfred's eyes widened. Of course, that would explain everything.

And that was when Alfred realised what was missing. Arthur's smile. He looked at him miserably surveying his teacup. He hadn't seen the guy in years but his memories of Arthur were all soft smiles and gifts. If only Alfred could cheer him up. Perhaps he should make a joke.

Before he could, however, Arthur spoke again. "My parents got divorced."

Alfred sighed in relief. "Thank God!" Seeing Arthur's affronted look, he scrambled to recover. "I mean, I thought something worse had happened."

Arthur sighed and shook his head. "Sometimes I wished the worst _had_ happened. My parents are very stubborn and selfish."

"Huh? What d'ya mean?"

"My mother decided to move back here to be with her boyfriend whom she had been having an affair with when we lived next door to you. My father stayed in England. Originally, I stayed with my father until they agreed that every month I would move between the two. They didn't even ask me my opinion!" He slammed his teacup down in its saucer and the tea sloshed around, some of it spilling onto the porcelain dish. Arthur sighed and looked up at Alfred with saddened eyes. They quickly shifted to a blank expression. "That's why I'm here. My education is chaotic at best and Oxford wouldn't bloody accept me. I'm going to graduate from here and then try to get into Oxford once again. I'm sure that, this time, I will succeed."

His determined look impressed Alfred but the anger in his eyes was not something Alfred wanted to see. He wanted him to smile. So the American fished for something to say. "Ah. So. What exactly are you going to do after college- I mean, Oxford?"

Arthur stared into his teacup. "I'm not entirely sure," he murmured.

Alfred decided to change the subject entirely. This was just getting too depressing. "Well, didja know how exciting it'd be to live here? Cause of all the superheroes, I mean? You _do_ know about the superheroes, don't you?"

The Englishman snorted. "Of _course_. _And_ the super villains. I hope you don't go out looking for them – it's dangerous out there, you know. And you'll probably just get in their way."

"Ah, are you concerned about me? I'm touched." Alfred grinned at his companion who turned red.

"I- I was not! I- I was more concerned..." He trailed off and stared in horror at someone behind Alfred. The American frowned and turned round to see. He gasped.

"No way..." he whispered as he stared in disbelief.

A man had just walked into the café. He was large and tall, his silvery-grey hair easily visible under his light blue hat. He wore a light blue scarf around his neck to match the gloves and the outfit. His boots were also light blue. His eyes were covered by a mask adorned with snowflakes and icicles but his smile was clearly visible. Everyone in the café had frozen and were staring at him. One of the waitresses dropped a coffee pot and the smashing of the glass on the tiled floor caused a nervous murmur to ripple throughout the room.

"The Big Freeze," breathed Alfred excitedly, turning back to Arthur. His eyes were sparkling with excitement, despite knowing the man was one of the villains. Arthur stared back and Alfred could see a turmoil going on under that perplexed expression.

The Big Freeze walked up to the nearest waitress and smiled down at her. She took a step backwards, appearing not to be able to breathe. "Give me all the money, da?" he said, cheerfully, his Russian accent thick. "Everyone get on the floor," he added, placing his hand on a nearby table. At his touch, ice appeared on the table, spreading quickly as if it was a sped-up film of frost forming in those documentaries Alfred watched. Within seconds, the whole table was a block of ice.

The people in the room whimpered as one and began to slip out of their chairs and on the floor. Alfred glanced at Arthur who slowly and carefully did the same, eyeing Alfred. Alfred may have been usually oblivious but, now, he realised that Arthur was probably trying to tell him to do the same. He hesitated for only a brief moment before reluctantly doing so. He reasoned with himself – if he tried to be a hero now, Arthur might get hurt. And that definitely wasn't heroic.

The waitress meanwhile stood frozen, staring at the table in shock. Alfred decided that she was probably terrified that if she said the wrong thing, she'd end up like the table. The Russian villain made a little noise, something like a little laugh. It attracted her attention and she stared open-mouthed at him. "Money," said The Big Freeze, simply.

"I-I-I-I-I c-c-c-can't..." said the poor woman who looked to be on the verge of tears.

"Hm?" said the man.

"I-I-I c-c-can't open the-the register w-w-without a purchase..." she said. "I-I-I'm n-new here..."

The Big Freeze stared at her for a moment before he gave a small giggle. One of his hands shot out and he grabbed her by the neck. "Izvinite," he said with a grin. "I should have asked someone else, da?"

Weakly the young woman nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek. She gave a weak smile and nodded towards another waitress already on the floor. "She... She knows how..."

"Hoh?" said the large man. "I see."

The woman gave a little laugh. Next moment, she gave a scream as she felt the ice spreading from The Big Freeze's hand. He pulled it away and watched as the ice began to spread. The woman fell to her knees clawing at it, screaming in pain and fear. Alfred watched in rising horror – he had no powers. What could he do to help?

Just as the ice began to spread towards her mouth and nose, there was a small clinking noise and, suddenly, the ice on the woman shattered and she fell to the floor, gasping for breath. Alfred's eyes widened, confused for a moment, until he saw the yellow rose lying on the floor beside the woman.

"The Rose," breathed Alfred, excited once more. He heard a groan behind him and turned to frown at Arthur. The Brit looked as though he would rather be anywhere else.

A red rose appeared in their line of vision. Arthur rolled his eyes whilst Alfred looked up at the man who was offering it to Arthur. He had a red rose in his hair, holding back some of his long blonde hair from his face. He wore an eye mask with lots of little roses detailed on it, all different colours. A large red rose covered his lower regions – and that was all he was wearing. Alfred tried not to stare at it too much, even though it was at his eye level.

Arthur batted the rose aside and hissed at him. "Do your job instead of flirting with innocent bystanders!"

Alfred blinked in surprise and was about to speak when the Rose laughed. To his shock, it sounded rather French. He hadn't thought that sort of laugh was possible outside of mocking the countrymen. He certainly hadn't thought that the French actually used that laugh.

"Ah, mon cher. I know 'ow to multitask." He laughed again and Arthur rolled his eyes. Alfred could tell there was a story behind this and he was itching to know. However, the Rose moved away from them and around the table towards the Big Freeze. Alfred twisted round to watch – and instantly wished he hadn't.

The Rose _really_ wore _only_ a rose to cover himself. Alfred could see the Frenchman's backside.

Alfred glanced away quickly and found Arthur looking at him. The Brit's cheeks turned a little red. Alfred tilted his head questioningly. Arthur frowned and shook his head, glancing at the two super-powered people facing off.

"Mon Dieu, mon cher. You 'ave been very naughty today again, oui?"

"Hoh?" said the Big Freeze as if he was unaware. Then, almost immediately, he said, "Da!" and beamed.

"Naughty boys should definitely be 'andcuffed, non?" said the Rose, winking at the bigger man. Alfred wished he didn't understand what that meant but too much time on the Internet and with Kiku had broadened his knowledge in certain areas.

"Net, tovarishch," replied the villain. "I have things I need to do."

"Really? I cannot even tempt you wiz some delicieux crêpes?"

"Oh, for goodness' sake!" breathed Arthur. Alfred glanced round at him. He found himself looking into the other man's brilliant green eyes. "Listen, Alfred, while these two nincompoops stand there talking in circles, we should get as many people as possible out of here. We'll have to crawl, of course, to keep out of sight as much as we can. I'll go check in the bathrooms and kitchen. You make sure that the poor assaulted waitress gets out of here. I'll meet you in front, alright?"

Alfred frowned. "But going into the kitchen and bathrooms seems like a harder thing to do – they'll hear the doors, right? That'd be more heroic, wouldn't it-?"

Arthur cut him off. "Not at all. It will be harder getting several people out of the room without The Big Freeze noticing. Especially since his ice powers expand away from him. My task is a lot easier." He gazed at Alfred, obviously waiting for a confirmation or agreement. Finally, Alfred nodded and Arthur nodded in return.

Just before they both turned away from each other to crawl across the floor in varying directions, Alfred saw Arthur smile encouragingly at him. He nearly forgot what he was about to do in his shock. Then he grinned to himself: Arthur really did suit a smile.

Alfred crawled to the nearest group of people and began a long battle of convincing them to get out of the café. Most of the girls he found were more than happy to do so. Some of the men, however, wanted to stay put. Alfred had no clue whether this was out of interest or if they had been in this situation before. However, thankfully, he managed to talk the men into coming. Especially when he pointed out that he needed help to save the waitress.

As the patrons and waitresses made their way to the door, Alfred was glad of the Rose being present. He was a good distraction for The Big Freeze. Alfred manoeuvred himself around the crowd and managed to get to the front of the group. He had agreed to be the one to open the door so, when he reached it, he reached up to grip the handle.

A sheet of ice covered the handle, suddenly, and began creeping across the rest of the door. Alfred's eyes widened and he stayed as still as possible. "Turn around," said the voice of The Big Freeze. Alfred did so, very slowly.

The super villain was grinning at him. Behind him, the Rose looked rather disappointed that his conversation had been ignored and of no use to the bystanders. He raised his hand and a white rose appeared in it. He threw it at his opponent and it struck him in the shoulder. However, the rose froze from its stalk up to its petals. The large man turned around again.

"You should pay more attention to moi, cher," said the Rose with a slight smirk.

"Da, it appears so," said the icy man. "But your roses will not work on me."

"Oui. Eef I want to 'urt you, I will 'ave to come up wiz a better plan, non?" The Rose grinned as another white rose appeared in his hand. The Big Freeze stood still, staring at the Frenchman. Then the rose dropped, striking the ground. It stood on its stalk and didn't move.

There were a few moments of silence wherein Alfred debated whether to move or stay still.

Then large vines burst out of the ground at The Big Freeze's feet, entwining around him, pinning his arms to his sides. He looked at them with mild interest as they soon covered his whole body. The Rose smiled and walked forwards.

"Eet seems as zough I 'ave caught you, mon cher. Et I can now take you wherever I want." He chuckled that very French laugh as he placed a hand on his vines. At this point, his face turned from triumph to alarm as he stood stock still.

His vines had fallen away when he touched them, shattering as they hit the ground. The ice, however, had not just spread to the vines: it was now slowly spreading up the Rose's arm. With a yelp, the Frenchman backed off. "Merde!" he exclaimed, banging into a table and toppling over. Alfred closed his eyes at a strategic moment to avoid seeing too much of the French hero.

When he next opened them, he hurriedly crawled along the floor, trying to find a window to get the people out of – the battle was not exactly going too well. The sight that met him once he had the windows in his view shocked him. The entire front wall was covered in thick ice.

There was no way out for him and the others.

Alfred felt as though he was being watched and he swivelled on his knees to see the Big Freeze grinning at him. He stared back, his eyes wide. What was he supposed to do in this situation? After a moment, he scrambled to his feet and stood gazing at the Russian, his heart thumping. "Let them go," he said confidently. He was sure someone would save them.

"Hmm... Net!" said the Big Freeze and lifted his hand from his side.

Before anything else could happen, however, there was a crashing sound from behind Alfred and he turned in surprise. The thick ice across the door had shattered along with the glass in the door. It left a hole that the newcomer could walk through nonchalantly. He walked past the customers and waitresses on their knees, past Alfred and straight to The Big Freeze before using his cane to hit him in the stomach. The Russian doubled over in surprise – it had happened too quickly for him to react.

The Gentleman had arrived.

"A- Ah!" exclaimed the Rose from his prone position. He tried to sit up, the ice still spreading. The Gentleman sighed and used the head of his cane to tap the ice forming on the unfortunate Frenchman. The ice shattered instantly and the Rose pulled himself up into a standing position.

"How many times will I have to save you, Rose?" sighed the Gentleman. "And you call yourself a hero?" The scoffing tone was obvious. It was a well-known fact that, although they were on the same side, The Gentleman didn't particularly like The Rose. This was certainly proof of it and Alfred smiled slightly, both in amusement and relief.

The Gentleman turned to Big Freeze who had straightened up and was smiling creepily at the hero. He bowed to the icy man who bowed back. Then The Gentleman took off one of his gloves – which Alfred suddenly realised he was wearing, black to match his outfit – and threw it on the ground in front of the larger man.

"I challenge you to a duel," said The Gentleman.

"Hoh?" said the Russian. "I refuse."

The heroes stopped and both of them frowned, glancing at each other in confusion. "What on Earth do you mean?" asked the English hero. "You always accept."

"Hmm... Da. But I do not want to be here when the others turn up. They will be here soon, da? They are not far behind."

"_I_ don't know," sighed The Gentleman.

"Neizer do I," agreed The Rose.

"I will take my leave now. Do svidaniya." The Gentleman and The Rose barely had the time to register what he had said when ice walls leapt into the air around the villain, shielding him from view. The Gentleman lifted his cane and swung it, hitting it hard. The ice instantly smashed revealing a significant absence of villain. He glanced at The Rose with a worried look who shook his head with his own look of confusion. Then they both looked at the gathered crowd.

"Use this as your chance to leave!" exclaimed the Gentleman, turning round and surveying the room. The heroes obviously believed that The Big Freeze was still present.

Alfred nodded at the heroes and turned towards the crowd. He began grabbing their arms and pulling them to their feet. He almost dragged several people outside. One of the men carried the waitress who had been attacked. They had barely made it outside when Alfred heard a crackling sound behind him. He turned and watched as a wall of ice separated them from the fight obviously still going on inside. The young man cried out in dismay and worry – would the Gentleman be alright?

But he didn't have time to wonder – a cop suddenly grabbed his arm and began to guide him along the street. "Clear the area!" he exclaimed. Alfred looked around in surprise. The street was crawling with police and ambulances. Someone must have noticed the ice and called 911. Although it was good that they had, Alfred was disappointed. He wanted to know what was going on inside.

Once past the cordon, Alfred wondered what he should do? Should he go home or call Kiku and find a way to convince him to abandon his studies and have some fun? Should he stay and see what happened? Should he try to sneak back in?

As soon as he considered this, however, the FBI turned up and began asking people to go further away. He pulled a face and, in a huff, began to move back. However, he saw some people were staying, arguing with the agents. He looked closer and saw the badges on the front of their clothes. Journalists.

Looking round to make sure no-one saw, he ducked through the crowd and joined the little group. They were in the middle of arguing that they had to get the news out to the people and, thus, should stay a little closer than the public to do so. At first, the FBI seemed to be firm in their decision. Then, when a loud bang attracted their attention, they relented, if only to hurry off to do what they actually came there to do.

Alfred peeked round the people in front of him and watched. In the distance, he thought he could see vines protruding from the building. Ice seemed to be on the ground as the FBI agents had difficulty moving.

There was another bang and Alfred watched as vines burst out of the side of the building, glass shattering and the old building making ominous creaks that he could hear even at this distance. Hearing a loud noise overhead, Alfred looked up to see a helicopter arriving on the scene. It passed them by and began to hover above the café. Hearing the noise of more rotors, he looked up once again and saw another one arrive, this time filled with reporters.

A cry came from the front of the crowd of journalists and Alfred looked down at the ground as he heard a distant crackling noise. Ice was spreading along the ground in a relatively straight line. Alfred saw it spreading towards him and he backed off. He managed to trip himself up and fell to the ground.

The gathered people could only watch, aghast, as the Big Freeze suddenly skated past. A couple of vines burst from the ground near Alfred and he yelped. The vines tried to wrap themselves around the icy man but he dodged them and passed them by. As he left the scene, the ice behind him melted. The vines retracted into the ground as screams and yells and thunderous footsteps filled Alfred's hearing. He felt feet connect with him and he cried out in pain and surprise.

The press were trying to follow the villain whilst the FBI and police were doing their utmost to stop them. Other members of the public who hadn't been evacuated quickly enough were also panicking and trying to leave the area.

_At this rate, I'm going to be trampled to death!_ thought Alfred in fright. So he was very surprised when he felt a hand grab his and lift him to his feet. He barely had time to get balanced before he was stumbling after whoever was clutching his hand, dodging through the stampeding crowd. It was only when they reach an alley out of harm's way that Alfred realised who it was.

"Gentleman!" he cried in delight.

The Gentleman turned, took off his top hat, bowed and replaced the hat in one swift motion. "Glad to have been of assistance. But, I must say, I have the unfortunate notion that I will be seeing you more often. How on Earth did you wind up somewhere dangerous again?"

"Ah. Well. I was meeting an old friend, you see, and he chose the place and this is so awesome and what you did in there was _so_ cool and-"

"I rather think that you are overusing the word 'and' in this 'sentence'," said The Gentleman, frowning a little.

"Ah, I'm sorry! But, er, wait! Where are you going?!" exclaimed Alfred as the hero began to walk away from him.

"I am terribly sorry, but I have other duties," explained the Gentleman.

"Wait! Wait! Can I ask you another question?"

The hero hesitated before turning to Alfred and leaning on his cane. "I believe that would be interesting. Do go on."

"Do you like your name?" asked Alfred immediately.

The man before him frowned and tilted his head. "That is a strange question. After all, you only get one: there are all manner of more intriguing questions to ask me."

"I'll ask them next time, then!" replied Alfred with a grin.

The Gentleman stared at him. Then his serious demeanour suddenly vanished as he laughed. "That was unexpected, forgive me," he said almost immediately, still smiling. The smile suited him, Alfred thought and he waited with anticipation for the answer. "Well, I do not dislike it," said the Gentleman. "But I do not much care _what_ I am called. Now, if you'll excuse me." And with that, he was gone."

* * *

Alfred pressed the start button on his XBox to pick up the phone that was buzzing beside him. He tapped the button to answer without looking and placed the phone under his ear. Using his shoulder to hold it up, he took his game off pause and went back to using his sword to hack at the monster he was fighting. "Yo," he said.

"Alfred..." said an English voice.

Alfred gasped and paused the game. He sat up straighter, grabbed the phone and pressed it against his ear. "Gentleman?!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Eh?" said the voice on the other end. "Wha-?" There was a pause and then, "Alfred, you utter dolt! It's me!"

Alfred frowned. Who else could it be bar the Gentleman. His eyes widened and he tried not gasp. He chuckled. "Ha! Had you there, didn't I, Arthur?"

Alfred could almost see Arthur's eyes narrowing. "You..." He sighed. "You completely forgot about me, didn't you?"

"Did not! I've been looking for you everywhere! Where are you?" Alfred was glad Arthur couldn't see the guilt written across his face.

"Where you left me, you smeghead!" Arthur snapped. Alfred frowned at the insult, never having heard it before. He shrugged it off.

"Well, I couldn't get back in!" Alfred argued. "And then there was all this chaos so I _had_ to leave, for my own safety, y'know. Don't worry. Next time, I'll definitely save you, 'kay?"

Arthur sighed. "Fine. Well... It was nice to see you again, even if I didn't get the chance to ask you about your life."

A vision of The Rose offering Arthur a red flower flashed into Alfred's mind. His curiosity was piqued. "Yeah. There are more things I wanna ask you about, too. Hey! Maybe we should hang out again sometime. How about tomorrow?"

There was a pause before Arthur answered. "I have a paper due in the next few days. Maybe after that."

"Alright, then! Where should we meet? Maybe not a café?" He grinned at his minor joke.

Arthur responded by clicking his tongue. "Well, have you been many places here yet? You just moved here, yes?"

"Yeah. And I've been so busy moving in and going to college that I haven't had the chance to see much." Alfred neglected to mention that he'd been reading comics, playing games and talking online in favour of going out – Arthur would probably say it was his own fault. "Do you know any good places?"

There was another pause while Arthur thought. He was probably trying to figure out the best place to go that would interest his younger friend. "Hm, would you like to go to the museum?"

"The museum?" asked Alfred, pulling a face.

"They have a section on superheroes," Arthur calmly pointed out.

Alfred jumped up in excitement, his controller falling to the floor. "Really?!" he almost shouted into the receiver.

* * *

_**I was having a discussion about English insults and the overuse of "git" and "wanker". So I put in "nincompoop" and "dolt".  
**_

_**Smeghead is another insult but it's more insulting - at least, it's supposed to be. I'm getting this from Red Dwarf. In that show, in order to avoid using swear words, they replaced them with the word smeg. You could use it in the following manner: "Smeg!" "You smegger!" "Smegging hell!" "This is all your smegging fault!" "What the smeg is that?!" "Mr. Rimmer is a smeghead."**_

_**I couldn't decide on a game to have Alfred playing so I just said "XBox" and "monster".**_

_**I'm also really bad at making up superhero names, apparently (my username is supposed to be one. It's kinda sucky. Now it's just a nickname). So, I'll apologise now: I am so, so sorry for these really bad names.**_


	3. Born in the Shadows

_**Again, I would like to apologise for the horrible thick accent.  
**_

_**Also, I'd like to apologise for the start of this story. I never really had a real idea of where it was going in particular. It was just a basic idea and my brain basically said, "You have to write this. NOW." However, I've been thinking about it and now I have an actual plot formed!**_

* * *

Alfred hadn't expected to see Arthur again until their arranged meeting so he was rather surprised to come upon him in one of the corridors on campus. He was with a taller man whose hair was also blonde but tied up with a blue ribbon, a few strands falling from it. He was wearing what Alfred presumed was fashionable clothes – they were rather flashy either way. His top was a deep blue and his jeans were had some sort of a fancy design on the pocket, a belt "setting a statement". He was standing with his arm blocking the entrance to a room, smiling mischievously at the Brit. Arthur, meanwhile, was glaring at him, hugging a pile of books to his chest. As Alfred and Kiku approached, they heard part of their conversation.

"Listen here, you damned Frog! How many times must I tell you to get out of the bloody way!"

"Ah, come now, Arthur," said the man. He had a slight accent and Alfred tried to place it. He gave up when Arthur snapped again.

"No! Just let me through, you bas-"

"Konnichiwa, Arthur-san," said Kiku calmly, interrupting him. Alfred glanced at his friend. Sometimes, he was surprised when the Japanese man spoke, even more so if he was interrupting something.

"Ah? Oh, hello... Kiku was it?" Arthur seemed a little flustered at being caught in an argument. He hoisted the books in his arms a little higher and looked at Alfred. Alfred grinned at him. "Hello, Alfred," he continued.

"Yo, Arthur," said Alfred. "Who's your friend?"

"He is _not_-"

"Ah, bonjour, mon cher," said the man, moving forward and taking Alfred's hand in his own. He held it delicately and pulled it gently towards him. "My name is Francis. It is a _pleasure_ to meet you. I've heard a lot about you." He gently pressed his lips to Alfred's hand before the young American could pull it away.

Red-faced, Alfred cradled his hand to his chest. "Dude..." was all he managed to say as he frowned. He wanted to tell him that he couldn't just do that in the States since he obviously didn't know how people interacted here. Thankfully, Kiku changed the subject before he could put his foot in it (which was probably what would have happened).

"Konnichiwa, Francis-san. What seems to be the trouble?"

A red-faced Arthur cut in. "He won't let me enter the lecture room unless I go on a date with him!" he complained. "Like hell I'll let that happen!"

"A date?" said Kiku. It sounded as though his interest had been piqued.

Alfred looked between them. Arthur was red-faced and furious – he seemed to be barely containing it. Francis was grinning at him, an evil glint in his eye. Kiku was looking between the two, a small smile on his face.

Feeling a little left out, Alfred decided to jump in. "How about we all go on a date, then?!" he exclaimed, excitedly.

"Excuse me?!" spluttered Arthur. Alfred thought the smaller man couldn't blush any more – clearly, he had been wrong.

Alfred turned a little red. He had only shouted out the first thing that came to his head. "The... four of us... go on date. Er, a double date? Well, yeah, something like that. More of a chance to hang out, right? Y'know, I love to hang out with friends and stuff. And I suppose I can get to know Francis better – but not in _that_ way. But we only do that if Francis lets you into the room! Yeah, like that!"

Arthur stared at him, a blank expression now on his face. "I think I understood it better before you spoke," he said, dryly.

Francis, however, was pondering this as he eyed the two younger college students. "I think this is a good idea. This weekend, we can go out for dinner, oui? At a _good_ restaurant of course."

"Like McDonald's," said Alfred with a grin.

All three of his companions stared at him.

"Well, if there are going to be two people between you and me, I suppose I can go," Arthur reluctantly agreed. "And we can go drinking afterwards so I can forget it ever happened, yes?"

"I'm not old enough to buy alcohol," said Alfred.

Again, he was stared at, though, this time at least, Kiku nodded instead. He was the same age as Alfred and so couldn't drink either. Arthur and Francis glanced at each other.

"We could-" began Francis.

"That would be breaking the law, moron!" snapped Arthur. "I suppose I can just go home afterwards and drink there."

"Ah, come now, cher. As long as we do not give them any, we will be fine, oui?"

Arthur hesitated. "Fine, fine. If you say so. But we still have the problem of where-"

"We shall go back to my ap-"

"No!" snapped Arthur, interrupting Francis. "Definitely not!"

Alfred decided to use their renewed glaring match to butt in. "You could come to mine?" he suggested. That way, he reasoned, once he had gotten bored of their drunken conversation, he could go play his games.

"Ah, you are so kind, Alfred," said Francis, happily, trying to take Alfred's hand. Not sure whether he intended to kiss it again or just shake it, Alfred pulled it out of reach and laughed at him.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Arthur, hesitant to accept.

"Of course! It'll be fine! Plus, I can order in pizza if I get hungry. There's lots of pizza places around my apartment."

"Well..."

"You should definitely come, Arthur-kun," said Kiku. "It will be fun." He looked at Arthur with an expression Alfred couldn't fathom. He watched as Arthur turned slightly red again and glanced away.

"Fine. I'll come. But only because I don't want to make a mess in my own place."

Alfred grinned. "Alright! It's a date!" He shot a fist in the air in excited celebration and the other three looked at him with bemused expressions. "Oh!" he suddenly added. "We shouldn't go to any cafés, though. They're dangerous."

"Quoi?" asked Francis.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "That sort of thing doesn't happen every day, Alfred," he said with an exasperated sigh.

"We were caught up in that epic battle in that café!" exclaimed Alfred, excitedly. "The Rose was there and The Big Freeze! It was amazing! But the best bit was definitely The Gentleman! He turned up just in time to save the day! Would I love to be able to do that! I gotta get myself some superpowers!"

Alfred grinned at his friends and found them sporting rather odd expressions. Arthur had gone red again and was averting his eyes. He also seemed to be rather happy, though Alfred couldn't figure out why. Francis, meanwhile, seemed both disappointed and amused. Kiku's expression was, once again, hard to read but he seemed to be as amused as Francis.

"Yes, well... I'm very busy," said Arthur. "So, if you'll excuse me." He ducked around Francis and entered the room. Francis pouted a little before rubbing the back of his neck.

"I suppose I should leave as well. It was very nice to meet you, cher," he added to Alfred. Alfred nodded in response and watched him walk away.

"So," he said to Kiku. "Is Francis French, d'ya think?"

* * *

Alfred was pleased to get a call from Arthur to tell him that he had finished his work earlier than expected. However, when he met Arthur in front of the museum, he noticed the dark rings under his eyes. Alfred frowned but waited till he was standing directly in front of him before poking his cheek and speaking. "You don't look so good. Maybe we should do this another time?"

Arthur shook his head, batting Alfred's hand away. "I'm fine. I just didn't sleep too well."

"Have you had _any_ sleep. It's only a-"

"I told you, I'm fine!" snapped Arthur. His angry expression relaxed into one of resignation. "I'm sorry. Let's just get this over with, shall we?"

"Hmm," said Alfred, pulling a worried face. Arthur just rolled his eyes and turned, walking up the steps to the museum. Alfred followed and they entered through the glass doors. Alfred thought it looked odd, the new doors in an old-looking building.

Inside was a small information desk in a large hall. Archways led to other parts of the building and a large set of stairs was behind the small cubicle and directly opposite them. A woman sat behind the desk, talking to someone who looked to be a little lost. He was consulting a map of the building as she spoke and she pointed to a few parts of it. A little way off stood a smaller man and Alfred was surprised at who it was.

"Kiku!" he exclaimed. "Yo! What're you doing here?" He spoke as he crossed the room, Kiku flinching at the noise and the woman glancing at him. Arthur sighed and followed.

"Ah, Alfred-kun and Arthur-san," said Kiku, waiting for them to get within earshot before speaking. "What brings you two here?"

"Arthur's showing me the superhero exhibit! I can't wait to see what they have!" Alfred grinned. "What about you?" he asked again.

"Ah... I told my aniki that I would meet him here. We have not seen each other in some time."

"Aniki means...?" Alfred racked his brain, trying to remember.

"Brother, Alfred-kun. Gomennasai for not speaking in English."

"Ah, no problem, dude! Hey, maybe we could wait with you! After all, the museum ain't going anywhere!" He grinned at Kiku. The Japanese man, however, glanced at Arthur instead.

"No, I don't think that's wise, Alfred," said the Brit. "Let's leave Kiku to have some quality time with his brother." With that, Arthur stalked off, walking towards the stairs. Alfred pouted, waved goodbye to Kiku and hurried after him.

"But Kiku's probably gonna be lonely just standing there!" Alfred protested, even though he knew it was probably too late.

"I have heard that Japanese people value their personal space so I doubt he will feel too bad."

"Hey, where are we going?" asked Alfred as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Arthur glanced back at him and then looked past him before shrugging. "I thought you wanted to see the exhibit. I thought I'd take you straight there."

"Really? Cool! I thought you'd take me there last or something!" Alfred cheerfully bounded up the stairs beside him, easily overtaking the slower man.

"Well, to be perfectly honest, I'm just too tired to listen to you complaining about how long it's taking to get there." Alfred could hear the smaller man panting as he made his way up. Like the nice guy he was and not because he didn't know where he was going, he stopped at the top and waited for him.

When Arthur finally made it up, he stopped to catch his breath but, now impatient, Alfred pulled him away towards the sign he had seen whilst waiting. Arthur glanced up as they passed under the 'Recent History' archway. "This is the right way, isn't it?" Alfred asked him without stopping. Arthur merely nodded.

It didn't take long to find where they were looking for. A whole room had been dedicated to the heroes and villains of the past few years. There were costumes in glass cases, pieces of broken weapons, small TVs showing a villain demanding their price, pieces of meteorites which were some heroes' weaknesses. There was even a cardboard cut-out where you could go behind and 'Become a Superhero'. There was even an eyemask at the side.

The excited American went from case to case, almost bouncing in his excitement. Once Arthur had caught his breath, he tried to start conversation. Unfortunately, all he managed to receive were one word answers and a few sentences about how 'cool' everything was. He soon gave up on extricating more than what Alfred was doing at college and just trailed behind Alfred. The younger man thought that he was being rather gloomy just because he wasn't talking behind a cup of tea.

Finally, they reached the cardboard cut-out. Arthur looked uncomfortable but Alfred shoved a camera into his hands and instructed him to 'take an awesome picture' of him as a hero. He posed with the mask and Arthur took a couple of them for good measure.

"Your turn!" exclaimed Alfred, grinning.

"Huh?" asked Arthur, handing the camera over.

"Don't 'huh?' - you're not getting out of this!" Alfred darted behind Arthur and quickly tied on the mask. Just as quickly, Arthur was untying it, spluttering about how he simply couldn't. Alfred frowned and grabbed Arthur's hands to stop him. The British man froze. "Aw, c'mon Arthur! Don't be such a downer! You'll look great! The mask'll cover up the eyebrows, don't worry!"

"Excuse me?!" exclaimed Arthur, renewing his attempts to untie it.

"But it'll be fun! What's the harm?"

Arthur hesitated before sighing. "I suppose I'll have to tell you," he said, a resigned tone to his voice. "I once had rotten fruit thrown at me whilst I posed in a cut-out at Blackpool beach. It still terrifies me to this day."

"Oh," said Alfred, withdrawing his hands. Arthur's hands deftly untied the mask and turned to him. He handed it over. "Sorry," Alfred said, grimacing as he replaced the mask.

"It's quite alright," said Arthur with a relieved smile. "Let's go to the little café downstairs to calm ourselves down."

Alfred was about to protest that he didn't need to calm down when he realised that Arthur was looking a little peaky. He probably needed to sit down. With a nod, he reluctantly left the room and they headed back downstairs.

* * *

Arthur sipped at a cup of tea before sighing in relief. Alfred, meanwhile, played with the cream and marshmallows which covered his hot chocolate. He glanced up at his companion when he seemed to be about to speak as he stuffed one of the pink marshmallows into his mouth.

"So, mechanical engineering, huh?" said Arthur. "Why did you choose that?"

Alfred chuckled. "Well, cause, I heard about all those heroes that don't have powers and thought that they needed some gadgets. I'll invent some stuff after I've graduated and then I'll give them it and they'll be able to fight the bad guys, too. Ah, I should come up with something that can fight ice."

"Shouldn't you be studying something like electrical engineering, then?" Arthur asked with a frown.

"Nah," said Alfred. "That's all theory and stuff."

"I would have thought it was more about robots and things than the mechanical side. I thought that was all engines."

"Well, it is but I bet I can get stuff to work." He flashed Arthur a grin before popping a white marshmallow into his mouth.

"Well, I see..." said Arthur, sounding rather hesitant. He glanced down at his teacup and took a sip. Alfred thought he might be struggling for things to ask him and so he decided it was his turn.

"Hey, how do you and The Rose know each other?" Alfred asked as Arthur brought his teacup to his lips. Almost instantly, Alfred was on his feet, patting Arthur's back as his friend choked on his mouthful of tea. "Are you okay?" he asked once Arthur had recovered.

He heard Arthur mutter something before he said, "Yes, yes. You can sit down now." Alfred did so, watching him with concern.

"Well... If you're alright, can I get an answer? I bet it's an epic story!"

Arthur gripped his teacup and stared into it. Alfred wanted him to hurry up but decided against speaking. To stop himself from saying anything, he ate another marshmallow. Finally, Arthur spoke.

"Well... I was walking home one night in my first month of living here and, suddenly, someone grabbed me and pulled me into an alleyway. I was so surprised; I didn't know what to do. But, out of nowhere, a rose struck my assailant and I was able to get free and run. He, that git, followed me! The next thing I know, he's standing at my door, requesting bloody favours for saving me!" Arthur slammed his cup down on his saucer with a loud clink, attracting the attention of an old couple nearby.

"Oh. What sort of favours?"

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Are you pulling my leg?"

Alfred thought hard – Arthur obviously thought he was an idiot and he wanted to waive the idea. After a few moments, it clicked. A naked hero, favours, roses. Alfred frowned more, though and looked back up. "But you're a guy..."

His companion laughed. Alfred wasn't sure if it was genuine or sarcastic but at least he was smiling. Arthur rubbed at his eyes and shook his head. "That doesn't exactly deter The Rose. He's a bloody pervert."

"Hm, wow. A new sort of hero, I suppose," said Alfred, musingly.

Arthur laughed again and, this time, Alfred knew it was genuine and nostalgic. "Yes. Only you would think that," he finally said with a soft smile. Alfred grinned back. "Any other stories you want me to tell?"

Placing another marshmallow in his mouth, Alfred thought. "Hm, well. How about you tell that story in the sort of detail you used to tell me stories?"

Setting his teacup down, Arthur grimaced. "I would much rather I didn't." He paused, thinking. "I could... tell you another story... One about superheroes. And villains. And the people who-" He broke off and laughed at Alfred.

The younger college student had decided to take a drink and now had cream on his nose. Alfred briefly pouted before he swiped at it. Arthur shook his head and picked up a napkin. He leaned forward and wiped off the cream. Alfred grinned sheepishly.

"That always happens. I should stick to coffee or sodas."

"Ah, but tea is definitely better than coffee." Arthur wrinkled his nose in distaste as Alfred frowned and shook his head.

* * *

After the argument about which was better, coffee or tea, Alfred found himself wandering around the rest of the museum at a leisurely pace with an irritated Arthur. Perhaps pouring the rest of his tea into the vase wasn't such a good idea. Or maybe it was because he was barely pausing to look at the ancient things in the cases. He wanted to get back to the superhero room.

They moved into another one and Alfred found himself looking at a rather large precious stone. It was a pale pink colour and seemed to be shaped in a rose. It reminded him of the French hero. The case around it seemed to be thicker than the others – perhaps to offer more security. There was a plaque beneath it and Alfred paused to read it.

_The Diamant de Roses._

_This large, rare pink diamond was lovingly crafted by the latest and youngest famous German jeweller, Ludwig Beilschmidt. It took two months to cut into shape and was presented to the Bonnefoy family on their son's 18__th__ birthday. _

_Kindly donated to the museum by Francis Bonnefoy._

"Woah, that's huge!" muttered Alfred.

"Tsk! Stupid Frog, showing off again," said Arthur who had appeared at his elbow. He was scowling at the plaque and Alfred frowned in confusion.

"What?" he said, glancing at his companion.

"You met Francis the other day," explained Arthur. Although, to Alfred, this still did not make any sense. He gave a mental shrug and listened to Arthur as he continued. "He's always doing something like this. He thinks he'll get more people in his bed if he flaunts his wealthy upbringing. Even though-" He broke off.

Alfred was about to speak when he realised he had the oddest feeling. He looked round and saw that Arthur was frowning and doing the same. Alfred rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at Arthur again. Arthur shot him a serious look.

They were being watched.

Although he wanted to ask Arthur what they should do, Alfred realised that he would probably be snapped at. He glanced back at the plaque and relaxed a little. The diamond was rare and, so, of course, the museum probably had people watching it. When he looked at Arthur, however, Alfred realised that he was now much more tense than before.

"Hey. Should we maybe get moving," Alfred said, trying to sound casual. "I won't be able to get to see the-"

A movement caused him to stop talking. He didn't see it; he sensed it. Arthur cried out in surprise and Alfred froze. Whatever it was, it was right behind him. Slowly, he turned to look and saw the oddest sight.

A black-haired man whose hair was tied back was standing right behind him. He wore all black and had a blank, black mask covering his entire face. There were slits in it for him to talk through and breathe. His eyes were slits as well.

It took Alfred a few seconds to realise that the man wasn't standing. In fact, his legs ended without any feet. He was attached to Alfred's shadow instead. Alfred tried to move backwards but he soon found that he couldn't. For some reason, he was now stuck in front of the diamond.

"Th-The Shadower!" Alfred exclaimed. He wasn't sure whether he should be excited or terrified; most people claimed that this villain was actually a ghost. Alfred hated ghosts.

"Let him go!" demanded Arthur. The Shadower turned his face towards the Brit. Arthur froze, glancing at Alfred worriedly. Then the super villain leaned forward and placed a hand on the floor, touching a shadow. The shadow of a case connected with Arthur's shadow and Arthur suddenly disappeared. The Shadower could make shadows become bottomless pits amongst other things, Alfred knew, and he cried out when Arthur disappeared.

"L-Let-! Why did you do that?!" exclaimed Alfred, struggling to move.

"He in way, aru," said The Shadower.

"W-What do you want from me?!" Alfred thought one of his fingers moved but he wasn't sure if he had imagined it.

"You steal diamond, aru."

"What?! I can't do that!"

"Chénmò!" exclaimed The Shadower. He sounded irritated. Then he flicked his hand and Alfred began to turn around until he was staring in horror at the diamond. He was going to get into so much trouble if he couldn't find a way to stop this. His hand began to rise of its own accord, reaching forward to the case.

A sudden noise as of something flying through the air came from behind him and, suddenly, he jerked backwards. Stumbling a little, he spun round and stared. The Shadower had disappeared. He hurried away from the case and stared around. What had happened to scare the man off?

"Are you okay, Dan'na-sama?" asked a quiet voice. Alfred turned round and peered into the shadows. A short man emerged. He was wearing all black and easily blended into the shadows. His black hair was kept back from his face – despite not needing to be – by a headband with a Japanese character on it. His mouth was covered by a neckerchief or something similar. A large sword was strapped to his back.

"N-Ninja!" exclaimed Alfred with a grin.

"Ah, I have a katana, Dan'na-sama. I am a samurai."

"Yeah! I know! Ninja the Samurai! This is so cool! Do you really-"

Ninja suddenly disappeared, however, and Alfred looked round. He was just in time to see Ninja, his sword drawn, leaping down onto The Shadower who had returned. His sword was blocked by a black substance. To Alfred it looked like a shadow. To the katana, however, it was hard enough to stop it. They stayed locked for a moment before both backed off.

"Rúhé fánrén!" exclaimed The Shadower. Alfred wished he knew what he was saying.

"What do you want the diamond for, virrain-san?" said Ninja. It took Alfred a couple of seconds to work out what he meant as his accent was so thick. He blinked and wondered whether he should do anything.

"I not tell, aru!" snapped The Shadower.

"Werr, I wirr just have to make sure you do not get it, Shadower-san," Ninja replied. He braced himself and The Shadower moved slightly as though doing the same.

Ninja launched himself at the other, his sword clashing with the shadows. He leapt backwards out of reach once he had hit. He did this several times and Alfred frowned. Why didn't he just stay in range?

The answer was provided when Ninja's sword jarred from the clash with the next set of shadows. He fought to keep it in his hand and, as he hesitated for a second longer than usual, the shadows wrapped around him. He struggled against them but the shadows spread, threatening to engulf him. Alfred gasped, looking around for something he could use as a weapon himself.

As Alfred considered picking up a nearby fire extinguisher, he heard a slashing noise and he froze before turning around. He was terrified that Ninja had just been killed. Instead, he gasped and grinned.

"The Gentleman!" he exclaimed, happily.

Sure enough, The Gentleman stood there, his cane in hand. His cape billowed from his arrival. Ninja stood beside him, his katana in his hand, braced for more fighting. The Shadower had backed off; the shadows he had been using as a weapon were shattered and falling softly to the floor before disappearing.

Alfred hopped up and down, impatient to see the rest of the fight but also wanting to run forwards and join in. Or, failing that, talk to them. However, he stayed where he was, bouncing with suppressed glee.

The Gentleman swept off his hat and bowed deeply to everyone in the room. Ninja bowed to him as well; The Shadower bowed his head, but only very slightly. "Really now, Ninja. I did not expect to have to save you, as well." He looked towards Alfred who grinned and waved. "Ah. I see I need to save you again."

"Yeah, sorry," said Alfred sheepishly.

"Well, no matter. Let us get this over with." He gazed at The Shadower who stared back at him. The villain then turned to look at the diamond as if he was calculating whether it was worth stealing.

"You know it help, aru?" he said.

"What the Devil are you talking about?" asked The Gentleman, though Alfred spotted that his hand gripped his cane tighter and his mouth turned downwards. Ninja also shifted his grip, his eyebrows furrowed.

"You know, aru," said The Shadower. Then, suddenly, he began to sink into the shadows. The Gentleman gave a cry and lunged forwards, Ninja following suit a little quieter. However, The Shadower disappeared completely and The Gentleman and Ninja were left looking around aimlessly. Finally, The Gentleman sighed.

"Well, at least we know what they are after."

"Hai, Gentreman-san," said Ninja.

The Gentleman turned to Alfred and walked over. "Are you hurt at all?"

Alfred flushed a little at his concern. "Nah, I'm fine," he replied with a grin. "Hey, since you saved me again, can I ask you another question?"

"What is this?" asked Ninja.

"Ah," said The Gentleman, sounding flustered. "It-It is nothing to concern yourself with. Before I take this young man out of here, may I ask what you intend to do now?"

"Hai. I think I shourd watch over the diamond, Gentreman-san." And with that Ninja bowed and disappeared back into the shadows whence he came.

After he had gone, The Gentleman gestured to Alfred to follow him. "I am going to escort you from the building. Kindly follow me."

Alfred nodded but, as he hurried after the hero, he said, "So, can I ask a question?"

There was a pause as The Gentleman perhaps composed himself. "Yes?"

"What's your favourite food?" Alfred, who was gazing admiringly at the hero almost walked into him as he stopped. When the masked man looked around at him, he appeared to be quite shocked. He recovered after a few minutes, Alfred fidgeting impatiently all the while.

"Are you-? What an odd question!" The Gentleman gave a startled laugh. "Most people ask me for my identity or what my powers are – and you are asking me about my favourite things?!" He laughed a little more. Alfred smiled. He was glad the hero was laughing.

"Well, I don't wanna know that stuff right now. I wanna be the only one who knows the little things! Then I can be a hero, too!" He grinned at his favourite hero who shook his head in despair.

"My favourite food is not of importance in those matters. Besides, I am beginning to get the impression that you should stay away from super villains. You seem to have become my damsel in distress."

Alfred turned red again before laughing loudly to cover it up. "HAHA! Well, as soon as I can make myself some handy gadgets, I'll be catching criminals, too!"

The Gentleman shook his head. "Really, now," he said, turning serious. "You should try to keep as far from those wretches as possible. Come along now."

"Ah-!" began Alfred as he followed the hero.

"I absolutely love a spot of afternoon tea with some lovely, freshly-made scones." The Gentleman stopped at the front door to the museum. "Now, I have some business to attend to inside. Please make your way as far from here as possible. And do try to stay out of the shadows."

Alfred gasped and turned, not wanting to leave him so soon. However, the hero had already turned and swept away. With a sigh Alfred turned to go. He had gotten to the bottom of the stairs when he had the feeling he was forgetting something. He stopped and frowned, concentrating hard. Something was missing – but what?

With a cry, he dashed back up the steps. He looked round and, not seeing The Gentleman, he hurried into the room with the diamond. Seeing no-one, he tried calling on Ninja the Samurai. "Ninja! Ninja!"

"Hai, Dan'na-sama?" said the Ninja, emerging from the shadows.

"Have you seen The Gentleman?"

"Chigau," said Ninja with a shake of his head. "What is the matter?"

"Ah!" exclaimed Alfred, distracted. "My friend! He- The Shadower-!"

"Ah, if that is arr, you have nothing to fear, Dan'na-sama. He wirr turn up eventuarry."

"Really?! How does that work?"

"The Shadower can onry contror the shadows within his vicinity. When he rooses his contror over them, the peopre are ejected from the shadows he took them in to."

"Really?!" exclaimed Alfred with a sigh of relief.

"Hai-" the smaller hero said before being interrupted by the sound of someone approaching. He melted into the shadows and Alfred turned to see who it was.

"Arthur!" he exclaimed. He bounded over to him and pulled him into a hug.

"Hey-! What-?! Stop-! Hey!" exclaimed Arthur, trying to pull away.

"I thought you were gone forever, dude!" exclaimed Alfred, letting the Brit go. Arthur's face was red. However, he looked ill and tired. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," said Arthur, shortly. "What the hell happened? One minute, I'm in here; the next, I'm in the superhero room. Are you alright?"

Alfred nodded. "Ah, but you missed The Gentleman again! Next time, I gotta handcuff ya to me so you can meet him."

Arthur laughed nervously. "Ah, yes, well. Can we go now? I don't much care to stay here any longer. I feel absolutely exhausted after all of that."

Alfred pouted. "But I wanna go to the superhero room again, too!" he complained before noticing Arthur's pale face. He looked rather ill and Alfred realised that, to be a hero right now, he should take him home – he should make sure he got to bed. "Well, c'mon, then! Let's go!" He grabbed Arthur's arm and pulled him towards the exit.

* * *

_**I'm sorry that there's not that much action. I'm not sure what happened. All I know is the original little bit about him meeting Francis changed slightly because I wanted to have an excuse for Arthur to be drinking - for reasons. And so the whole thing got longer and I was a little conscious of having it be too long.  
**_

_**The Shadower says "Silence!" and then "How annoying!" And, of course, Ninja the Samurai is calling Alfred "sir", since he doesn't know his name, as it were.**_

_**The thing about the café - not sure if it ever happens in American museums but there's a museum near me which does that (for some reason). Not that I've ever gotten anything from it. I believe it's rather expensive and I usually go there to actually take a look around.**_

_**The Diament de Roses is completely made up - but pink diamonds **_**are_ a thing. I looked it up. Also, there probably _was _more security around that thing. Just a certain someone took them out._**

**_I decided that Ludwig would be a jeweller. But only when he gets commissions. For certain reasons. (I may or not be making more of this up as I type this, heh.)_**

**_Ah, yeah, The Shadower's power is kinda like that guy in Naruto (whose name escapes me and I kinda don't have time to look him up) but I never realised till after I'd thought up his power. Typical, really. EDIT: I've been told that the guy I'm thinking of is called Shikamaru. So, thank you. :)  
_**


	4. Have a Drink on Me

_**This chapter was created solely for Arthur to be drunk, really. Though, after thinking it over, I put in some foreshadowing/hints at a plot and also set up the next chapter. So, all in all. Good job, me! (But not really - Al may be OOC but I'll explain that at the end.)**_

* * *

Alfred was running late. It was a common thing to happen but, this time, he knew they'd all be annoyed at him. Especially Arthur who, he had learned, loved time-keeping.

And tonight was the double date.

He grabbed his keys and checked for his wallet and cell phone. When he couldn't find either, he hurried back to his bedroom and started throwing things out of the way. Shirts and pants and underwear filled the air. Finally, his hands closed around what he had been looking for and, with relief, he stood up and rushed to the front door. Once again, he lifted his keys and he slipped out of the door.

Once he had locked the door, he ran off – and almost immediately bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry" he exclaimed, glancing up at the man. He was a little surprised to find that the man was taller than him. Usually, Alfred was the tallest. But this man was tall as he was broad-shouldered. He wore a thick coat and a scarf. His hair was silvery-grey.

"Ah, that is all right," he said and moved past Alfred. The American shrugged and hurried off. As he turned into the stairwell, he spotted the man opening the door to the apartment next to his own.

* * *

He spotted his three dinner companions from a distance and increased his speed. However, just as he was about to reach them, a crowd of people blocked his way. He was stuck waiting for them to move whilst a fire hydrant blocked part of the sidewalk and a large van stopped him from using the road as a shortcut. Sighing, he leaned forward to call on them – he had been so looking forward to giving Arthur a fright from behind. Their conversation reached him and stopped him. He shrugged and decided he could wait to get to them for his surprise.

"And we still have no idea what they were doing?" Arthur was saying.

"Even after finding more documents, we still have not found an aim," Francis confirmed.

"Well, it'll be something to do with power," Arthur said with a sigh. He ran his hand through his hair. "Though, why they stopped before they had finished..."

"If only we could remember..." sighed Francis, tucking a strand of his hair behind his ear.

"We don't _want_ to remember!" snapped Arthur. "It's bad enough that Ludwig sees bits and pieces. How is he, anyway?"

Kiku spoke up. "He still sees things when Feli-kun is sleeping. And you know what he is like..."

"And what about _them_?" asked Francis, raising his eyebrows at Arthur.

Arthur snapped at him again. "I've already told you: I'm not going to just go to them-!"

Francis interrupted him. "But _The Gentleman_ could."

"Look, Frog, I've already told you, I'm not g-!"

"How is your course going, Arthur-san?" asked Kiku suddenly. Alfred, who had been watching Arthur, glanced at Kiku and saw him smile slightly in greeting. Realising his surprise was ruined, he darted round the fire hydrant as the blockage cleared.

"Huh-? Oh. Yes, it's going well, thank you," said Arthur as Alfred finally reached the group.

"Yo, dudes! What've I missed?!"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "You're late." He looked the American up and down and frowned. "And you're wearing jeans."

"Yeah?" Alfred looked at the other three and realised that all three of them were wearing suits. Francis and Kiku had ties: Kiku's tie was red and Francis had a deep blue. Arthur, however, had chosen to wear a black bowtie. "Ah," he said.

"Idiot!" exclaimed Arthur. "We told you we were going to a good restaurant. Besides which, this is supposed to be a date, isn't it?!" He blushed a little when he realised what he had said but, before he could say anything else, Francis stepped forward.

"I do not think that it matters – he still looks as good as ever, non?" The Frenchman grinned at Arthur whose cheeks became more red. His eyes narrowed and he seemed to be about to say something when Kiku stepped forward.

"Perhaps we should go inside, Francis-san, Arthur-san."

"Ah, oui. Our booking will be passed over if we do not hurry."

"Hmph!" was all Arthur had to say.

Alfred grinned. "Sweet! I'm starving!"

* * *

After a minor argument between Arthur and Francis, they were shown to their table. It was rectangular and Alfred sat next to Arthur, Francis and Kiku across from them. Arthur frowned when he noticed Francis across from him.

"Why do I have to look at you for the whole meal?" he complained.

"My thoughts exactly," said Francis with a scowl, still irritated from the previous argument. It looked odd on him.

"Shut up, Beardy!" snapped Arthur. Alfred felt a movement beside him and turned a confused look towards Arthur.

"Aïe!" exclaimed Francis. "He kicked me!"

Alfred frowned. "You're not gonna do that all night, are ya?" he asked Arthur.

"Only if he speaks."

"That is unfair, Sourcils!"

A waitress approached their table and Arthur responded with a glare. She took their drinks order and the two quarrelling men civilly responded. Francis asked for some sort of French wine whilst Arthur asked for an English one. They glared at each other as Kiku asked for some orange juice and Alfred asked for his precious Cola. When she had left, the argument started up again.

"Are you copying me, mon cher?" asked Francis with a smirk.

"I just prefer wine with a meal, thank you. It's much more civilised."

"You are not being very civilised when you are kicking me, are you?" Francis said with a frown.

Arthur narrowed his eyes but didn't answer. Alfred felt a movement under the table and realised that he had opted to kick Francis instead of responding. Before Francis could say anything, Alfred rose from his seat.

"Hey, Arthur. Maybe you should switch places with me."

Arthur gazed up at him before nodding and rising, grabbing the napkin that had been on his lap as he did so. "Yes. I'd rather not have my meal soured by having to look at his bearded face."

"Likewise!" snapped Francis, scowling at the Brit once again.

"Perhaps we should concentrate on choosing our meal?" said Kiku before the argument could continue. Alfred nodded enthusiastically and opened his menu.

He stared at the fancy names.

"Hey, do you think the prawn cocktail would be good for a starter? Oh, how about this pate thing?"

"Pâté," Francis corrected.

"Pâté. Hey and what's this?" He pointed to the words on the menu. Francis peered at it but frowned and tried to tilt his head; he couldn't read it from his angle. Arthur, however, leaned over with a sigh.

"Have you never seen a menu like this before?" asked Arthur, frowning.

"Nope!" said Alfred cheerily. "I just go to McDonald's or order in pizza. Sometimes I even go to KFC." He grinned at them.

"Really, now. You can't just eat hamburgers all the time. You're going to get fat." And, with that hurtful comment, he began to read out the menu for Alfred's benefit, explaining what everything was. The American, however, lost interest halfway through, zoning in and out as he nagged him in between declarations of food on offer. Finally, he stopped talking and Alfred laughed with relief.

"Wow, you talk a lot!" he said, cheerfully. Arthur reddened and sat back in his seat, staring at his menu.

When the waitress returned with their drinks, to her credit, she didn't bat an eyelid at the changed seating arrangements. Perhaps she had seen stranger things in her time at the restaurant. After setting down the drinks she asked if they were ready to order and they agreed. Alfred wanted to try everything but, in the end, he ordered a prawn cocktail and a well done steak with fries on the side.

While they waited for their food, they sipped their drinks and chatted. Alfred learned that Francis and Arthur had met when Arthur was schooled in Paris. He had been thirteen at the time and he shot angry looks at Francis when he seemed about to go into more detail of their escapades.

"So what are you studying here for?" asked Alfred.

"Well, my parents are rich, built from fashion and cooking empire. As I am skilled with both my parents' arts, I am expected to inherit their fortune. So, I have no need for a career, to be honest. I can already cook well so, with nothing to do, I looked into studying with friends. When I found out what Arthur was doing, it seemed like a good opportunity to annoy him." The Frenchman laughed as Arthur glared more.

"And he is doing a surprisingly good job of it," he growled.

Alfred shrugged. "So you're studying that boring course, huh?"

"Hey!" Arthur cried out, looking offended.

Francis laughed more. "Oui. I am glad that I have met you, Alfred. You have brightened up a boring time in my life. And you also seem like a nice guy."

Alfred felt something brush against his leg and frowned a little. Realising it was a foot, he glanced at Arthur, wondering if he was trying to kick France from his place. The Brit, however, had struck up a different conversation with Kiku and refused to look at him. He glanced at Francis who was sipping his wine, a cheeky smile on his face. Still confused, Alfred decided to shrug it off – especially when their food turned up. Alfred cried out in delight and watched the waitress place a cocktail glass full of salad, prawns and dressing in front of Arthur. Then she leaned over and placed the same thing in front of Alfred.

Arthur frowned at him. "Did you copy me?" he asked.

He shook his head. He hadn't been listening while Arthur placed his order, too busy trying to decide on a main course. He grabbed one of the forks and prepared to dig in.

"Wait!" Arthur gasped, reaching out a hand to stop him. "You're using the wrong fork, idiot!" He picked up the fork which had been beside it and handed it to him. "This one."

Pulling a face, Alfred swapped them. "What's the big deal about that, anyway. They're both the same, anyway."

This, of course, earned him a ten minute lecture from Arthur on manners and the differences between the two forks. He had finished his whole starter – even the salad, since he was starving – when he finally finished nagging. Then he began to eat his own starter. Alfred sighed. It looked like the main would be a long while away.

Kiku changed the topic, talking about the differences between Japanese and American anime conventions. It was as he moved on to talk about amazing cosplays he had seen and liked, that Alfred remembered something.

"Ah!" he exclaimed as Kiku set down his fork. Surprised, the Japanese man stopped talking and everyone turned to look at him. "You guys! You _need_ to come to my mom and dad's place for Halloween! We have this _awesome_ party every year! You all gotta come! Francis can... look pretty or something. And Kiku! You could dress up as an anime character, right? Another excuse to cosplay, haha!"

His three companions glanced at each other. Then Kiku smiled and readily agreed. Francis nodded before musing about what he could dress as. Arthur, meanwhile, placed his fork gently on his plate and calmly dabbed at his mouth with his napkin.

"You'll come, too, right, Arthur?" asked Alfred with a grin.

Arthur reddened somewhat. "Why would you want me to be there? Wouldn't I just bore you?"

"No way, dude! This'd be a great time for you to relax! You work way too hard, right? Take some time off! The world's not gonna end just cause you weren't reading a book!"

Folding his napkin, Arthur looked away from Alfred. "Well. I-I suppose I should celebrate finishing one of my papers – it's due in that day. However, if I haven't finished it... Ah, but don't think I'm doing this because you asked me to! I just have no other offers at the moment and 'first come, first serve'. And it's not because you suggested I have fun! I have plenty of fun all on my own-"

"Really? Like what?"

Arthur's mouth opened and closed as if he couldn't think of an answer. "I-It's none of your business!" he finally snapped.

"Is that because you masturber on your own, cher?" asked Francis, a smug smile on his face.

Once again, Arthur blushed. He pursed his lips but was stopped from serving a scathing reply when the waitress returned to take away the dirty dishes. They all assured her that the starter had been lovely and she informed them that the main dishes would be out fairly soon. There was a strained silence when she was gone and Alfred tried to think of something to say. Before he could, however, the waitress returned with their plates of food.

She set a well done steak in front of both Arthur and Alfred.

Clearing his throat, Arthur said, "Um, did you-?"

"Dude, I didn't even pay attention to you when you were reading out the menu. 'Course I didn't copy you!"

The Brit looked affronted and turned to his own plate, politely eating. Kiku had found a noodle-based dish and was slurping it up in the least messiest way he could. Francis, meanwhile, was eating a chicken-based dish that Alfred couldn't pronounce. He glanced up at Alfred as the American looked around at them all. Glancing at Arthur to make sure he was still refusing to look in their direction, Francis leaned forward.

"What is wrong, cher? You look confused."

He leaned in as well. "Did I just insult him?" asked Alfred, his voice lowered as much as possible for him. Unfortunately, this wasn't enough and Arthur glared towards the two of them, a blush on his cheeks again.

"You didn't insult me!" he snapped, almost shouting. "I don't care what you think of me, you stupid tosser!" He jabbed his fork at a piece of steak and shoved the rather large piece into his mouth.

Alfred glanced at Francis and leaned back, beginning to attack his own meal. They ate in silence, Arthur refusing to speak and the other two not attempting to make any conversation. Whenever Alfred tried, he was glared at by Arthur or received a shake of the head from one of the others. After a while he gave up and he had soon finished his meal.

Without saying anything, he stood up and hurried off to the bathroom. He had drank a lot of his soda waiting for the food and now he needed to go. He spotted the sign pointing to the washrooms and pushed open the door. He paused for a moment as he noticed one of the chefs talking to a blonde woman. However, once he had spotted the men's room sign on the door beyond them, he continued on his way.

"What are you doing here, aru?!" the man was asking.

"I am looking for vialiki Brat. Is he here?" The woman had a strange accent which he couldn't place. It sounded almost Russian.

"Of course he is not here, aru!"

Alfred glanced at them as he drew closer. The chef was small and Asian. He had his long black hair tied back and covered by a hairnet. On top of that was a small, round, white hat and he had on a set of chef's whites, too, an apron tied around his waist. The woman, meanwhile, was wearing a black dress which ended halfway down her thighs. Her long, blonde hair was kept back by a large black bow tied with ribbon. The black boots with their stiletto heels looked rather dangerous and Alfred avoided her gaze, just in case.

He slipped into the men's room just as she said, "Where is he, then?"

Once he had finished, he found himself having to pass the two of them again. This time, the man seemed to be trying to usher her out. He had a pair of knives in his hands.

"I have told you many times that you should not be carrying these, aru!" he was exclaiming. He spotted Alfred and lowered his voice, slipping the knives into his apron. "You do not need them. Why do you keep them on you, aru?"

"I prefer to have them," said the woman as Alfred passed by. "Return them to me."

"Méiyǒu," said the man. Alfred thought it sounded Chinese but he wasn't sure. He shrugged and pulled the door open, returning to the restaurant proper. He slipped into his seat and looked to Kiku.

"Is 'may-yo' Japanese?" he asked him.

The Japanese man frowned. "That sounds like Chinese, Alfred-kun."

"Ah. Thought so!"

Arthur looked at him with a frown. "Where did you hear that?" he asked.

"Passed by one of the chefs on the way back. Hey, are we getting dessert?"

Kiku nodded and showed him the menu, pointing at a particular part of it. "Hai. We can even get one of these to share. After all, we _are_ on a 'date'."

Alfred grinned. "Awesome idea, dude! We should totally do that!" Alfred glanced at Francis but decided he wasn't entirely sure he would like to share something with him. Preferably, he would like to share the dessert with Kiku but that wasn't practical at an angle. Besides, Arthur probably wouldn't want to share with Francis – he would definitely complain. With that elimination, he turned to Arthur. "So. What d'ya wanna share?"

Arthur gazed back at him for a moment, not seeming to register what he had just said. Then he flushed with embarrassment. "I- What? I... I don't particularly mind..."

"Great! I get to choose!" He glanced over the menu and found something he thought both of them would like. "Let's get that!" he exclaimed excitedly, showing Arthur what he had picked.

"Chocolate fudge cake... I don't think we'll be able to finish one of that size, Alfred."

"Sure we will!"

He gave up and allowed Alfred to ask for what he wanted. Kiku and Francis decided on the profiteroles. The waitress came over and they placed their orders. Silence spread across the table. But not for long: Alfred began to speak.

"Hey, did you guys know that Arthur met The Rose one time? I've met The Gentleman quite a few times, y'know. Have you two ever met a superhero? They're so cool, right?!" He grinned across the table at Francis and Kiku.

Francis smirked a little in Arthur's direction before launching into his own story. "Ah, cher! I, too, have met The Gentleman! It was a dark night and I was walking home from college when, all of a sudden, this man grabbed me from behind! He had thought I was a woman and, when he discovered I was not, he decided to kill moi! I was terrified. But, before he could shoot, The Gentleman fell down from the sky and knocked the man out. I was very grateful and asked him back to my place for a 'merci' present. When we got back there, I proposed a ménage à trois with moi et Arthur there."

A spoon flew at Francis and he only just put his hands up to protect his face in time. "That _didn't_ happen," Arthur said, dangerously quiet.

"Oui. Mais... I would definitely like that to happen. Would you like it, too?"

A napkin went flying this time. "Shut up!" yelled Arthur. He was red in the face now and looked furious. Alfred glanced round the restaurant. If they fought in here, he wouldn't get his dessert. He'd have to stop them.

"I don't think The Gentleman would want to do that, you know," he said, grinning at them both. "And he's not allowed to, really. He's a hero. He's supposed to set an example."

"That does not stop someone from having certain urges," said Francis, smirking again. Arthur reddened and seemed about to say something when Kiku spoke.

"Ah. It appears our desserts are here."

Alfred looked round and, sure enough, their waitress was approaching carrying two large plates. She placed the profiteroles in front of Kiku and placed the chocolate cake in front of Arthur. It was a glorious slab of cake: five layers of chocolate sponge, chocolate fudge icing between each layer, more smeared on top with a hardened layer of chocolate covering that. There were two dollops of luxurious vanilla ice cream at the side. Alfred stared in wonder. Arthur stared in disbelief.

"S-So big..." he muttered, still looking rather shocked as Alfred grabbed a spoon and began to dig in. "Why is it so big?"

"Cau'e it aw'ome!" said Alfred through a mouthful of cake.

Arthur scowled. "Don't speak with your mouth full!" he snapped before taking a small mouthful of cake and ice cream. Alfred rolled his eyes. The guy was starting to sound like his mother.

Once again, silence descended on the table. Alfred became a little restless, wanting to speak but not knowing what to say when his companions were happy to eat quietly. Therefore, they all jumped when Francis spoke to Kiku. "Open you mouth, cher."

Kiku, confused, opened his mouth. Francis picked up a profiterole and placed it gently into his mouth. The Japanese man blushed but ate it quietly and returned the favour. Alfred watched this in awe and then glanced at Arthur. He was trying not to look at anyone and was busily trying to scoop a piece of cake onto his spoon. Glancing at the couple across from them, Alfred mentally shrugged: what would be the harm in doing the same for Arthur. Quickly, he scooped up the piece Arthur was having trouble with. This earned him a glare from the Brit but he smiled and held it out to him. He was satisfied to witness Arthur's cheeks turning red once again.

"What the hell are you doing?" Arthur muttered to him. "We're not a couple. Just ignore them, for goodness' sake!"

Pouting, Alfred shook his head. "No way, dude!" he cried out. "I'm offering this to you so just take it!" And with that he held the spoon closer to Arthur's mouth. He backed away but the American soon had him cornered and shoved the spoon into his mouth as he was about to complain.

Arthur tried to chew but he seemed to have problems as Alfred grinned at him. Finally, he started coughing and had to use his napkin to spit out most of the cake. He glared at Alfred who gave him a worried look.

"How inelegant," said Francis.

* * *

"I'm gonna make sure the place is tidy enough for 'His Majesty'," Alfred declared, rushing into the living room/kitchen area. He had remembered on the way back that he had left his place in quite a state and Arthur seemed rather particular about tidiness. Entering the room, he saw that a lot of his Gentleman fan products were lying around. He wondered briefly whether the older men would make fun of him for his collection and decided to scoop them all up and rush to his bedroom. He dumped everything onto his bed and returned in time to follow the other three into the room. Francis and Arthur were in the kitchen, searching for a bottle opener. Kiku was sitting at the dining table Alfred never used. He sat beside his friend and smiled at him.

"Do either of you want some wine?" asked Francis.

"They're underage, idiot Frog. How many times do I have to tell you that it's illegal to offer alcohol to minors?" Arthur opened a cupboard as he spoke and found some wine glasses. He placed them on the counter and grabbed the bottle from the Frenchman's hand. They scowled at each other.

"You bought sake, hai?" asked Kiku.

"Ah, oui. As you requested, mon cher."

"You bought him alcohol?!" exclaimed Arthur. He seemed about to go into a long rant when Alfred interrupted them.

"Chillax, dude. People drink underage everywhere, right?" Arthur glowered at him. He was unsure why but shrugged it off and continued. "I want some of my soda!"

Grumbling to himself, Arthur found another couple of glasses and poured out the wine, soda and sake. Francis carried his and Kiku's to the table and Arthur took his and Alfred's. Once they had sat down, they began drinking.

* * *

Half an hour later, Alfred had gotten bored and was starting up his games console. Arthur was drunk and had become incomprehensible. Francis wasn't much better but, at least, he was making a little more sense than the Brit. He couldn't tell whether Kiku was drunk or not but he seemed to be smiling and talking more than normal.

He settled down to play just as his stomach growled. He grimaced and got back up, heading to the kitchen. As he passed by the table, he overheard part of their conversation.

"You bloo'y Frog. I always ha' t'save ye- you. Y'know? But y'always upstage me, y'good f'r nothin' bashar'." Alfred glanced at Arthur who was sprawled on the table, hugging either his bottle of rum or Francis' bottle of wine.

"Mon ami, you should just wear vêtements plus flashy. Or rien du tout porter. You would look good like that, non?" was Francis' reply.

"Tais-toi, grenouille!" snapped Arthur. "And where's'e damn wine?" As Alfred started to pull open the drawers in the kitchen, he spotted Arthur looking at the bottle he had been hugging. Francis took it from him and poured some into his glass. Alfred winced: he looked as if he would spill it. Luckily, it seemed as though he was an expert at this and he didn't spill a drop.

Finally, Alfred found what he was looking for and pulled his phone out of his pocket, dialling the number for the nearest pizza place. He ordered three pizzas for himself and a large one for the other three in case they tried to steal his food. He walked over to the table and sat back down. Only Kiku seemed to notice that he had left and returned. He glanced up at Arthur as he jerked the wine bottle under his nose.

"D'you smell tha'?" he asked. "'Ave some."

Alfred shook his head. "No thanks. I already have a drink, dude."

"Ah, well, chug it."

"Um, if I do that, I'll be sick."

"Ha! Ligh'weight!" He grabbed his glass and took a large gulp.

"Yeah, well, you don't look like you're doing much better, dude." Alfred glanced at Kiku who smiled back at him. Francis sipped at his own wine, seemingly ignoring Arthur for the moment.

"'M fine, idiot! 'M The Gentleman, so's 'm fine."

Alfred narrowed his eyes. The other two sat up: Francis looked worried; Kiku had stopped smiling. He shook his head. "You are very, _very_ drunk if you think you can compare to The Gentleman, you know. I know all about him – and the other heroes, of course. And I sincerely doubt you'd be drinking if you were him."

"I 'm you tosspot." Arthur focussed on him as the other two relaxed in their chairs again. "Hey, Al...?"

"Yeah?" asked Alfred, a little surprised that Arthur had shortened his name.

"When'd your twin get 'ere?"

"Um, I think you might have had enough to dr-" Alfred, whose hand was reached out to take the bottle, retracted it. Arthur had just smacked his hand and now it stung. He pouted at Arthur.

"No! The solushun t'this is t'drink more!"

Alfred sighed and shook his head. "Well, if you're gonna be sick, do it in the bathroom: it's the door opposite this one, okay?" Saying that, he remembered about the special edition The Gentleman toothbrush. Turning red, he hurriedly left the table, rushing to make sure the offending item was in the cabinet, out of the way and out of sight.

Just as he was coming out, there was a knock at the door and he hurried over to answer it. It was the pizza delivery man. He grinned. "Thanks, dude!" he exclaimed, loudly, grabbing the boxes. He slapped several bills in his hand and shut the door as he left. Then he hurried in and, after checking to see which was which, he dropped one on the table and went back to his game.

* * *

Alfred had just beaten the third boss when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He gave a yell and turned round to see Francis' face close to his. "Eh?!" he cried out and toppled off his sofa. Remembering the game, he hit pause and looked up at him as he got to his feet. "What're you doing?"

"Sourcils has fallen asleep, cher. 'E needs somewhere dormir."

"What?"

"Sleep, chéri."

Now on his feet, Alfred looked at the table. Kiku was still sitting upright but he seemed to be swaying a little. Arthur was sprawled across the table, his mouth open, the empty bottle hugged to his chest. He glanced at Francis: the Frenchman was clutching at the back of the couch in an effort to keep standing.

"I'll take him to my room," Alfred said. "You're not gonna keep drinking, are you?" he added, a little worried that Francis would throw up.

"Non, non. Kiku et I will share a... taxi." Kiku looked around at his name and nodded. He swayed a lot more and then stood up. "Shall we go, mon cher?" asked Francis when he noticed that he was on his feet.

"Hai," said Kiku, smiling.

Francis staggered over and linked arms with the smaller man. Kiku leaned into him, using him as a leaning post. Then the pair staggered for the door, almost tripping twice. Alfred watched them go, wincing every time they went off course. Exactly how much had they drank? He hurried after them to open the front door. He barely got out of the way in time – Francis nearly fell into the door. Instead he staggered outside and stopped, Kiku somehow keeping up with him, arm linked to Francis.

"Uh, bye guys. Be careful, 'kay?"

"Hai, Alfred-kun!" exclaimed Kiku, smiling at him. "Arigato!" Alfred was surprised – he hadn't realised Kiku could be that loud.

"Oui, mon beau," said Francis with a wink. However, he followed the wink, overbalancing. Alfred cried out and almost rushed forwards. Thankfully, Francis righted himself. "Au revoir," he added before guiding Kiku along the corridor. Alfred grimaced and closed the door.

Alfred returned to Arthur and put his hands on his hips. "Come on, you," he said to the passed out figure. "I've the rest of this game to get through." He grabbed Arthur's hand and pulled him up. He stirred and moaned, mumbling something incomprehensible. Quickly, Alfred threw his arm around his own shoulders and took all his weight.

There was a pause.

"Why didn't you wake up?!" Alfred wailed. He had Arthur's arm around his shoulders, his own arm around the Brit's waist and the man's legs were trailing on the ground. The drunk was also still clutching the bottle. Alfred looked at it and tried to pry it away from him. "Ow!" he snapped as he was hit on the head with the bottle, Arthur waving his hand.

"More..." groaned Arthur in his sleep.

The younger, much more mature man – in Alfred's opinion – sighed and leaned over slightly to scoop his legs up. He was now carrying him bridal style. He was extremely glad that Kiku and Francis weren't there as he turned red.

"_More_!" moaned Arthur.

Ignoring him, Alfred walked out of the room and got as far as his bedroom before he realised two things. He had shut the door tight so he couldn't just kick it open. Even if he did, he didn't want a busted door. He stared blankly at it before starting to fumble for the handle.

It was at this point that Arthur woke up.

"More!" he shouted as he squirmed, making Alfred lose his grip. The Brit landed on the ground with a thud, hitting the door on the way down. Alfred quickly took the chance to open the door and push it open. Arthur, who had been leaning against it, dazed, fell backwards. He giggled.

Alfred grinned. Arthur giggling was rather amusing. Especially when he knew the Englishman would regret drinking so much in the morning. He spotted the mess of things on his bed and once again hurried to put them out of sight at the bottom of his closet. Then he returned to Arthur, leaned over and scooped him up again. "Upsy-daisy," he said with a smile as he lifted him up.

"M'name's not Daisy," said Arthur and Alfred laughed heartily.

"I know that, dude. But I'm not sure you know what _your_ name is."

"Gentleman," said Arthur.

"Yeah, yeah," said Alfred as he set him down on the bed. He pulled the messy covers over him, a little thankful at the moment that they didn't have The Gentleman sheets yet. Though, that _could_ be a business venture for him, he mused... "Anyways, I'll leave you here and go get you more whatever, 'kay?"

"You'll need this," Arthur said, holding out the empty bottle. Alfred nodded and took it away from him. He went to the door and turned out the light he usually left on – it would probably just hurt Arthur in the morning. "Night night," he heard Arthur murmur.

"G'night, Artie," said Alfred before he closed the door.

* * *

He had just defeated the last boss when, suddenly, he heard a yell from his bedroom. Startled, he paused the game and glanced at his watch. It was nine o'clock. He frowned. Why was Arthur awake at this time?

A look of realisation spread across his face before being replaced by one of horror.

He scrambled to his feet and rushed to the door, throwing it open without regard for whether it stopped or not. He hurried to his bedroom and barged in.

Arthur was on the floor, staring wide-eyed at what was on the bedside table, though he flinched at the increase of light and the noise. Alfred breathed heavily as he grimaced.

His alarm clock had activated. And it was a novelty The Gentleman alarm clock.

It was currently saying. "A gentleman is never late. You had best get up to arrive on time." That wasn't shocking in of itself but God Save the Queen was playing loudly in the background and had probably woken Arthur in time for the puppet to pop up. It was dressed like The Gentleman but, of course, the voice was different and, if you listened carefully, you could tell it was an American man putting on a British accent. It was fairly close to The Gentleman's accent but still sounded fake now that Alfred had met the real thing. That was the reason he ignored it most days.

"What- What the hell...?" Arthur mumbled, looking lost.

"Ah, er..." Trying to take attention away from his bordering-on-obsession interest in the hero, he changed the subject. "Are you okay? I mean, you're probably hungover and you've fallen out of the bed..."

Arthur flinched at the sound of his voice and tried to stand up. He ended up in a heap, tangled in the covers he had taken with him in the fall. He squinted at them before turning his gaze to Alfred. "Captain America sheets? Really?"

"Ah, you're even grumpier when you're hungover!" Alfred said, cheerfully, watching him wince again. "I'll go find some painkillers or something. If I have any." He hurried off to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and found an almost empty box that his mother had forced on him as he left. He had thought it silly as he never really got ill. He washed out the plastic cup he used to drop his toothbrush in and filled it with water before returning to the bedroom.

By this point, Arthur had climbed back onto the bed and turned the alarm off. He accepted the pills and water with a "Thanks" and downed two quickly. He groaned and looked up at Alfred. "Where are Francis and Kiku?" he asked.

Realising that this was going to be the first of many questions, Alfred sat on the end of the bed. "Well, they said they were getting a cab together but I'm not entirely sure how far they got. They were all over the place." He pulled a face.

Nodding, Arthur asked another question. "Where have you been, then?"

"Oh, I had this game to play. And it was so awesome! See, you play as this-"

"I think I get the picture," Arthur interrupted him, hurriedly.

"But..." said Alfred with a pout.

"What on Earth is that?" asked Arthur, pointing at the alarm clock.

"Er..." Alfred blushed. "Um, sorry. I forgot it was set. I usually just turn it off and roll over. But, um, well, it's a fan thing. Or something. I got it off the Internet."

"I never knew you could get this sort of thing..." muttered Arthur before returning his attention to Alfred. "I'll be fine in a little while. You can go back to your game if you'd like."

Alfred immediately left the room.

* * *

By the time Arthur entered the room looking a little worse for wear in his dishevelled clothes, Alfred was halfway through his second run of the game. He paused and glanced up. "Hey, you gonna have breakfast before you go?" he asked. "I think there's some cold pizza in the box on the table..."

Arthur looked disgusted but checked the box. "There's none left," he reported.

"Ah, I must have ate it all, then."

"And you didn't notice?"

"Nope."

Sighing, Arthur walked to the fridge and pulled the door open. For a moment there was silence and, worried he was about to be sick, Alfred stood up to check on him. He shut the door and turned to Alfred. "Why is there no food?" he demanded.

"Oh. Well, I usually just go to McDonald's or order in or something. Wait, do you cook stuff?"

"Well... Yes... But..." He glanced away, reddening. "It-It doesn't matter. I'll just go home. Sorry for imposing on you longer than necessary."

"Ah, no problem, dude. Hey, I'll walk you part of the way. Now that you mention it, I'm kinda hungry, too. I'll go get something from McDonald's." He smiled and started grabbing his things.

Arthur rolled his eyes at him. "I do _not_ need an escort."

Alfred simply grinned. "Hey, let me do this heroic thing, 'kay?"

"That's not heroic. That's gentlemanly. And people will get the wrong idea, you know."

Alfred shrugged. "Whatever. Dude, are you ready to go or not?"

* * *

When they reached a McDonald's, Alfred stopped and turned to Arthur who had asked for a baseball cap to "keep that infernal sun out". It had been lucky he had one. An Iron Man one. He grinned at how odd he looked in his crumpled suit and the hat. Arthur, who knew what he was grinning at, scowled back.

"Well, I'm gonna leave you here, 'kay? I'll see you around- Ah! I'll see you at the party, right?"

"Hm, I _may_ come. If I can. Just for my own reasons. Not because you're insisting or anything ridiculous like that..." He trailed off and nodded. "Right. Good morning." He stuck out his hand and Alfred shook it, stifling a laugh at his weird antics. Then he turned and walked off and Alfred headed indoors.

It was as he was heading home with his bag of hamburgers that it happened.

He lazily glanced down a side street and saw a huge crowd gathered at the bottom of a building in a semi-circle. He frowned and hesitated before he let his curiosity get the better of him.

"Hey, what's happening?" he asked the closest person as he reached them.

"Fire," said the man, simply. "And I think there're people still stuck inside, too."

"Really?" gasped Alfred. That was awful: someone should save them. Someone like The Gentleman. Or maybe The Rose or... Well, anyone would be good. "Excuse me," he said to the people in front of him. They parted a little and he began to squeeze his way through. At the front, he found a little kid, looking up in fear and awe. He handed over the bag of food. "Here, kid. Hold onto this for me, okay?" The kid nodded and Alfred took off his bomber jacket as he hopped over the police barrier.

"Hey, you!" shouted a cop. Alfred didn't look round, just ran headlong into the building, using his jacket to cover his head like he'd seen them do in the movies. Wait, was that for something else? He shrugged it off as the smoke hit him. It was filling the building completely. He wondered which floor the fire was on. He looked round and quickly spotted the staircase.

Once on the first floor, he realised a fatal flaw with his "burst in and save the day" plan. He had no idea where the trapped people were. He had no idea where the fire was. And the smoke was causing him to cough so much he was almost doubled over. Deciding to just go all the way up, he continued on, the smoke getting thicker and making it more difficult to see.

On the third floor, he found the fire. It was so hot, he wasn't sure if he could continue. But he wrapped his head and arms in his jacket and rushed past. The heat intensified as he passed and he gasped before coughing at the smoke. When he was a flight up, he lowered the jacket a little and realised that the fire had spread.

Flames were licking at the next set of doors. He could see doors left lying open, things in the hallway husks of their former glory. He was the glad the fire doors were in place. It was still hot and fire was everywhere, but at least there hadn't been an explosion yet. He was about to move on when he saw movement inside. He did a double take and squinted through the fire and smoke and heat haze.

Someone was weakly crawling along the corridor.

Alfred eyed the fire doors. He knew you weren't supposed to open them, but, still, how else could he save the person? He took a deep breath, coughed, took a shallower breath and then kicked open the doors.

The roar of the fire increased and he gasped. Again, he coughed but he ignored it and hurried forward. He reached the young woman just as she collapsed on the floor. Wrapping his jacket around her, he lifted her up, bridal style again, and turned to leave.

There was a great cracking sound from above. Alfred glanced up and barely had time to dodge backwards with a cry as a wooden beam fell from the ceiling. It landed where they had been only moments before and Alfred tried to catch his breath. Which was difficult, considering the smoke. He looked at the large piece of wood – there was no way he could move that. It was on fire for a start. However, there was a small enough gap that he might be able to squeeze through.

He hurried to it and tried to place the woman gently on the ground on the other side. She was so thin and small that it worked. He breathed out in relief. Then it was his turn. He placed a foot on the other side and shifted his weight. He got halfway and became stuck – he was off-balance and he couldn't move forward or risk being set on fire. "Oh-" he began when he felt someone grab his hand. _A firefighter? _was his first thought.

However, when he found himself sitting on the landing in the next second, he realised that it wasn't a normal person. It was a hero. A superhero. He looked up at the familiar sight of The Gentleman and his heart skipped a beat. He tried to shrug it off but he had never felt so relieved to see him. He tried to speak but ended up coughing.

"I would advise you not to talk," said his hero, his voice sounding strangely tinny. It was then that he realised that he was wearing an oxygen mask. Though, oddly enough, it didn't seem to be attached to anything. He frowned and wanted to ask about it but he suddenly found the man's hand in front of him. He blinked before accepting it and The Gentleman pulled him to his feet. The grip seemed rather familiar and it tingled but he ignored it as he turned to the woman. Before he could lift her, though, The Gentleman picked her up and slung her over one shoulder. He seemed to do it awkwardly and Alfred was sure he heard a soft grunt before he seemed to get her in position and held out his hand to Alfred again. He took hold of it without question.

He wasn't entirely sure how they got out of the rest of the building – after all, The Gentleman was encumbered with the woman already and Alfred could feel himself stumbling every so often. However, it was in no time at all that they were outside and firemen were pulling Alfred and the woman clear. Alfred didn't remember stepping down as many stairs as there had been on the way up. It confused him as he looked to The Gentleman for explanation. He was nowhere in sight.

A paramedic ushered him to an ambulance where they checked him over. He insisted he was fine but they pushed an oxygen mask into his hands and he placed it to his face. Taking deep breaths, he relished the feel of the air rushing into his lungs. He coughed a few times but, in a couple of minutes, he was sitting on the stretcher, breathing normally, the mask strapped to him. He wanted to go see if the woman was alright but wasn't sure if he'd get into more trouble than he'd probably be in if this was televised – his parents had warned him not to do anything dangerous. Or stupid. This was probably both.

"You could have been seriously injured, Mr. Damsel," said a voice behind him. Alfred gasped and coughed before twisting round to see The Gentleman standing there, a serious look on his face. He was holding the bomber jacket and he placed it around his shoulders, over the blanket. "Really now, I have saved you more times than I have anyone else."

"I'm just attracted to trouble," said Alfred with a grin. "Hey, since you saved me, can I ask a question?"

The hero gripped his cane which Alfred hadn't noticed before. How had he gotten it when he had had his hands free inside? Where had he kept it? Did he _want_ to know? "You may ask me a question. However, I have need to ask _you_ a question, as well."

"Really?" asked Alfred and he grinned again. "Then I should get two questions! One for being saved and one for answering your question!"

The other sighed. "How on Earth did it come to this?" he asked himself. "Then you are awarded an extra question. I shall ask first. What is your name? If I am to continue saving you, I shall need to know your name."

"Alfred F. Jones!" he excitedly told him. _The Gentleman wanted to know my name! _My_ name!_ "Now my questions! What's your favourite colour?"

The Gentleman chortled before answering. "Forest green and sky blue." There was a pause as Alfred waited for an explanation. "Does your next question regard unladen swallows?"

"What d'you mean?"

"Is that your question?"

"No, but if you're asking another one, do I get extra ones?"

They stopped and stared at each other. "Perhaps you should ask your question," said The Gentleman calmly.

"Okay! Why did you become a hero?"

His hero's mouth opened slightly as if he was shocked by the question. There was a silence filled with the noises of a crowd, sirens and the fire still blazing in the building. Then the man took a deep breath and gave his answer. "I have always been gentlemanly and so I decided to share this with the world by helping people in need. However, there was someone I wanted to give a role model to."

"Did it work?" asked Alfred breathlessly, feeling as though he was being let into a secret world.

"That would be another question, Mr. Jones. Kindly stay here until the paramedics have discharged you." He gestured in their direction and Alfred glanced round.

When he looked back, The Gentleman had gone.

* * *

_**I think I may overuse the word "dude" for Al. But I like the word. It's kinda fun.  
**_

_**Anyway, I'm not sure if Al covering up his near-obsession with The Gentleman is in character or not. Though, I suppose, it's covering up how he feels about him. **_

_**The three questions at the end, of course, are a reference to Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I was trying to think of two questions for Al to ask Arthur and realised that, at some point, The Gentleman should ask for his name so he can shout it without giving himself away. I also thought I should stay on the "What's your favourite...?" questions and landed on colour by chance. The rest of it came from there.**_

_**It has come to my attention that "alright" should actually be "all right", even though "alright" is also acceptable. Or something stupid like that. I think I caught the one instance I used it in this chapter. But I'm not going to change any of the rest of my chapters (unless I happen to be editting them because of stupid mistakes).**_

_**I decided that Arthur knows French. This is just a belief I have of Iggy for some reason (probably mainly the strip about why beef is called beef). But he only uses it on special occasions or when he's drunk and Francis is around.**_

_**I think that's all but, if you want to know something that I've forgotten to explain, I could probably tell you. Unless you're asking about what they were talking about at the start of the date. That'll come up later.**_


	5. This is Halloween

_**I really love writing this story. I don't even know why that is but here's another chapter. (I'll explain a few things at the end.)**_

* * *

A few days after the fire, Alfred was on the fan site when a new member popped up. He was always ready to welcome new people as were the others. Then they all spotted the name. The newcomer was calling themselves Gentleman-H8er.

Surprised, Alfred asked the person if it was a mistake. They said no, they had heard that The Gentleman actually paid attention to the site and they wanted to talk to him. Alfred was still confused upon hearing this but kept quiet as the other fans continued to talk. However, when one of the girls started to talk about the fire and all the people he had saved, the newcomer spoke up.

_Gentleman-H8er: He is an awful man. A fake and a fraud. He covers up his true identity. How can anyone trust someone like that?_

Immediately, Alfred came to his hero's defence.

_HERO : It doesn't matter if he hides behind his mask. He does amazing things! Besides, you're hiding behind your name._

_Gentleman-H8er: I am not hiding. I hate The Gentleman and so I am a Gentleman Hater. You, however, are you really a hero? Or are you only pretending?_

Alfred was shocked. How on Earth could he respond to that? He could tell her about the fire and the part he had played in that. Although, in the end, he had needed saving so perhaps he should keep quiet. Besides, The Gentleman might see and know who he was and know that he had been lying. His stomach twisted with guilt – perhaps he should come clean.

These thoughts were wiped from his mind as The Gentleman logged on. The girls all clamoured to complain about Gentleman-H8er and Alfred waited for The Gentleman's reaction. There was a silence after their complaints as everyone waited for his reply.

_The_Gentleman: I see._

A little shocked by the lack of defence, Alfred started to type a reply when another message popped up. He glanced at it and stared at shock at the screen, reading the newcomer's response.

_Gentleman-H8er: I despise you! You ruined my father's life! I hope you come to a sticky end!_

As soon as that was sent, the fans began a tirade of angry messages to the hater. Alfred himself started typing and found he couldn't stop, ranting at the person. Why couldn't this person respect The Gentleman? Where they jealous? What was their problem? He was more irritated than he had been in his life. However, as he once again glanced up at the screen, he noticed a message from The Gentleman which instantly dispelled his anger and left him with a warm feeling inside. He grinned at it – The Gentleman really was amazing.

_The_Gentleman:Please do not be so harsh. Gentleman-H8er is entitled to their opinion. I also know that my actions do not always have good outcomes for everyone involved in my skirmishes and I apologise profusely. I am dreadfully sorry to have caused anyone such distress._

If Alfred had thought that would placate the person, he was, unfortunately, wrong. There was an immediate response from Gentleman-H8er and his heart sank.

_Gentleman-H8er: I will never forgive you._

Alfred decided to privately message The Gentleman to make sure he was okay. It only took a few moments for him to respond. He sounded almost cheerful in Alfred's opinion and he was relieved.

_The_Gentleman: I am quite all right. If I let anything like that bother me, I would not be who I am today. Do not worry about me. However, thank you for your concern._

When Alfred went back to the public chat, he found that the newcomer had logged off and disappeared into the ether.

* * *

Alfred was just about to go shower when he heard a knock at the door. He frowned in confusion. He was meeting Kiku and Francis at the train station so he wasn't expecting anyone just now. He shrugged and opened the door to find Arthur already in his costume. He had with him a small duffel bag.

"Allons-y!" he said cheerfully, pointing a small silver stick at him. He pressed a button on it and it lit up green at the end with a buzzing noise. He was wearing a jacket with patches on the elbows, a waistcoat with a stopwatch hanging from the pocket, a bowtie and a red fez. He looked ridiculous and Alfred had no clue who he was supposed to be.

"Um... Who are you?" he asked.

Arthur frowned and buzzed the thing at him before pointing it upwards and staring at it intently. "Hm," he said. "It seems that I am dealing with an Americanus idiotus. Not a very rare species but I'm amazed to find one here."

He rolled his eyes. "I know you're insulting me, Artie. Who are you supposed to be?"

"Ah, I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor Who?"

The Brit seemed to drop the act. "Exactly. It's from the TV programme, Doctor Who. Haven't you seen the new series?"

"Ah, no. Sorry. Been meaning to catch up. You totally should have dressed as The Gentleman, you know! You're both British, so..."

"No," said Arthur, firmly. He had paled a little and Alfred wondered if he was feeling well – had he got enough sleep last night? "I'm not going to dress as him. Besides, I'd look stupid with an overnight bag whilst being a superhero." His eyes narrowed suddenly. "And I'm not sure whether you're making a generalised comment about us because of our accents..."

Having no clue what he meant, Alfred blinked and shrugged. "Anyway, come in."

"So," said Arthur as he entered, rolling his eyes at Alfred's shrug. "Who are you supposed to be?" He looked Alfred up and down, taking in his worn-out jeans and faded t-shirt.

The American grinned. "Once I've taken a shower, I'll show you!"

"Ah. Did... Did I come too early?" asked Arthur, looking rather nervous and upset. "I'm sorry. I should have told you I was coming. I only knew I was coming today. I thought I'd sent you a message, though..." He took a phone from his waistcoat pocket and fiddled with it. "Ah. It didn't send. Sorry."

"Dude, chill. It's fine. I'll be out of the shower in no time."

Arthur snorted. "You mean you hardly wash yourself, right?"

"Hey!" said Alfred with a pout. "That's just mean!"

His friend smiled, amused. "Yes, sorry." He didn't look sorry at all.

Alfred shrugged. "Just give me a few minutes, 'kay?" And with that, he hurried off to the bathroom and his waiting shower.

* * *

Alfred re-entered the room by throwing the door open, letting it bang into the wall. He watched as Arthur flinched and glanced up in surprise. He stared at Alfred for a moment before laughing. "Really?" he managed to say.

Alfred was wearing the full Captain America costume. The mask covered his eyes but he had put his glasses back on. They were clinging to his face precariously. He held the shield out towards Arthur and grinned at him over the top of it. "Really."

"Is he your favourite comic book character, then?"

"Yeah! Of course! He's the first one I ever read!" He smiled at Arthur before noticing the Brit had turned red. It took him a few seconds to realise that Arthur had been the one to give him the Captain America comic. He blushed and looked away. He lifted his own duffel bag that he had left in the living room and turned towards the door. "I'm ready so let's go!" Arthur nodded and followed him.

They walked through the city's streets, an odd-looking pair. A few times they were stopped for people to take pictures of Alfred. Arthur begrudgingly took the photos, complaining once they were out of earshot about no-one knowing about Doctor Who. He cheered up a lot as they came across a group of around a dozen people, each one dressed as a different Doctor. Alfred watched happily as he smiled and talked with them easily. They took pictures and finally parted ways, Alfred and Arthur hurrying to get to the train station on time.

They walked up to the entrance and someone small moved towards them. He had long white hair, animal ears and was wearing a strange red outfit. He had a katana stuck through his belt and his feet were bare bar the sandals. He was holding a stuffed satchel. He bowed slightly to them and said, "Konnichiwa, Arthur-san, Alfred-kun."

Alfred stared at him. "K-Kiku? Wow! You really went all out, didn't you?"

"Hai. I am Inuyasha," he replied, mostly adding the name of his character for Arthur's benefit. As Arthur asked for more information and Kiku happily provided it, Alfred glanced around. Where was Francis? He looked up at the clock. They only had a few more minutes before they would have to get on the train.

"Bonjour mes amis!" said a voice behind him. He turned to look and, once again, stared.

Francis was wearing a large, fancy dress, white and pale pink. It puffed out at the waist and there were a lot of frills present. It was also low cut, obviously meant to emphasise the curves on a woman, but only serving to expose Francis' chest. He had a large white wig with jewels placed on it as carefully as possibly and his arms and neck were adorned with jewellery. He also seemed a little taller, perhaps due to the heels he was wearing. If it hadn't been for the beard and the flat chest, Alfred would have assumed he was a woman who had stepped straight from the 18th Century. He was holding a large, round, white bag with a pink flower flopping over the side.

"Um..."

"Ah, do you not know who I am, cher?" asked Francis kindly, smiling down at Alfred. The bemused American just shook his head. "I am Marie Antoinette! I thought to myself, who could I dress as from French history? Et I settled on the belle Marie Antoinette."

"Well... That's..." Alfred looked to Arthur and Kiku for help. However, Kiku looked dazed and Arthur looked frozen, as if their brains couldn't comprehend the sight before them. "Nice?" He glanced at the clock. "We'll miss our train if we don't hurry! C'mon!" He grabbed Arthur and Kiku and dragged them from the spot. It still took a few minutes for them to come to their senses.

"What the hell is he doing?!" Arthur whispered to Alfred. "Is he trying to traumatise everyone?!"

"I suppose it is a good thing that he wants to celebrate his history, Arthur-san," Kiku whispered back while Alfred just shrugged.

"Mes chers!" called Francis when they had made it through the ticket barrier. They turned to find him stuck, unable to get through in his huge dress. The three costumed men glanced at each other before Arthur sighed and they moved as one to help him through.

* * *

After a train journey with a lot of awkward silences and staring, they finally arrived at Alfred's parents' house. The front was decorated with pumpkins and skeletons and spooky lights. Alfred grinned and started up the path. "This is awe-!" he began before giving a yell as a ghost popped up beside him. He stood frozen for a moment until he felt Arthur at his elbow. He jolted and looked round.

"Not a very good Captain America, are you?" he asked with an amused look.

"Th-Th- I wasn't expecting that!" Alfred said by way of excusing himself.

"Oui, cher," said Francis, also looking amused. "Shall we go in?"

Alfred nodded and walked the rest of the way to the door. He paused and knocked, waiting only a few minutes for his mom to reach the door. She opened it dressed as Audrey Hepburn, a bowl of candy in her hand. "Trick or treat!" exclaimed Alfred, grinning, his arms opened wide for a hug. She gave a squeal and shoved the candy into her husband's hands, him juggling it and his fake head, before pouncing on her son. She drew him into a bone-crushing hug and Alfred laughed at her eagerness. "Calm down, mom. Your hero's not been away _that_ long!"

"Yeah. But it's not every day your baby goes running into a fire and saving anyone! You're my real live little hero!"

Embarrassed, Alfred pulled away. "_Mom_!" he exclaimed. He nodded his head towards his friends. "I haven't told these guys yet! This is Kiku by the way," he added, pointing at the Japanese man who bowed. "This is, uh, Francis," he added. Francis moved forward, took her hand and gently kissed it before moving back again. "And... Do you remember Arthur? From when I was, what, 3? This is him!" He grabbed Arthur's arm and pulled him forward. The Brit blushed and held out his hand solemnly.

"H-Hello, Mrs. Jones. It's good to see you again."

The woman grinned and grabbed his hand, pulling him into a hug. "My word, you've grown, haven't you!" she exclaimed, releasing the stiff man and ruffling his hair. And still as polite as ever I see!" Arthur smiled shyly at her before she pulled him in. "Come in, come in! The party's just getting started! I'll take your bags! Let's have lots of Halloween-y fun!" She took Arthur's bag and Alfred's dad who had disappeared for a moment, reappeared without head or bowl and happily took the rest of the bags. Alfred watched as Arthur was steered upstairs by his mother who was eagerly questioning him on his life. He wondered if he should save him but immediately forgot about it when he spotted the candy sitting defenceless on the kitchen table. He glanced around and, having made sure no-one but his friends were watching, took some from it. Offering it to Kiku and Francis, they also took some before they all headed to the living room where the party had definitely started.

Alfred surveyed the costumes, grinning at the weird and wonderful alike. He found an Iron Man and started chatting to him as Kiku hovered behind him. Francis had gone to flirt with some girls wearing very short skirts. When Alfred glanced in their direction, they did not seem impressed by his costume.

"You bloody git! Why didn't you ask your mother to leave me alone?" said a voice by Alfred's elbow. He just grinned as he turned to the annoyed Arthur.

"Oh, c'mon! She was excited to see you again – can't you let her have her fun?" Arthur scowled as Alfred glanced at the approaching Francis. He seemed to be downhearted. "Dude, if you're trying to get girls, it might be a good idea to ditch the costume."

"Do not tempt moi, cher," he said with a cheeky grin and wink. Alfred had the feeling he should drop the subject before stripping occurred.

"Ah, there you are, son!" exclaimed Alfred's dad. He was approaching with a man he hadn't noticed before. This was probably because he was wearing a dark suit, blending into the edges of the room. He almost seemed to be bursting from it, his muscles clearly defined below the material. His blonde hair was slicked back and his blue eyes were hard as steel. Beside him, Arthur and Kiku glanced at each other. Francis, however, had a rather different reaction.

"Ludwig, cher!" he cried, rushing forward and hugging the taller man. "It is good to see you after all this time! Especially since that diamant is so joli, oui?"

Ludwig wrested his body from Francis' grip and stepped back in shock. "Francis?" he said, his accent clearly German. "What on Earth are you dressed as?" As he spoke, Alfred noticed his fake vampire teeth. It was obviously a minimal effort costume.

"I see you already know one of my son's friends, Ludwig," said Mr. Jones, trying to re-enter the conversation. He moved to stand beside Alfred, placing a hand on his shoulder. "This is Alfred. Alfred, this is one of my colleagues, Mr. Beilschmidt."

"Yo," Alfred said, raising the bottle of homemade lemonade in acknowledgement.

"Hallo, Alfred," said Ludwig, nodding at him.

"And these are his friends, Arthur and Kiku. Arthur's a friend that my son's been reunited with. It's certainly a special occasion to see him in this house again." Arthur's eyes flickered to the side, as if he was looking at his old house before he nodded in response to Ludwig's greeting. "Now, shall I introduce to some other people around here or will you be fine with these lads to talk to? After all, you can't sit at the side forever."

"Ja..." said Ludwig, hesitantly. "I was waiting for... And my bruder – I have lost sight of him. I thought it would be best to sit at the side..."

"Can't have that! This is a party! Have fun!"

Once his father had left, Alfred asked his question. "How do you know Francis?"

"Ah..." said Ludwig but Arthur interrupted.

"I can't believe you've forgotten already. That diamond that The Shadower tried to steal was cut by Ludwig."

"Oh, really!" said Alfred. "Cool! Wow! You must be able to make really amazing stuff with your hands!"

"Well, I suppose it is..." said Ludwig, glancing at Arthur.

"What're you doing here?" asked Alfred, not paying attention to Ludwig's pointed look at Arthur.

"Ah, I am studying here. I am still a young jeweller and I need more qualifications before I can achieve my goal."

"What're you studying?"

"Ancient Roman History."

"Wow! You must be a genius if you can do all that _and_ make jewels!"

A faint blush crossed Ludwig's cheeks. "I would not say that, Alfred."

"Luddy's amazing! And really clever!" The voice had an Italian accent and Alfred looked round the large body of the German to find a smaller man standing behind him. He had brown hair with a single curl sticking out and was wearing ears and had paws on his hands. A tail was sticking out from behind him. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to be but, if he was to compliment Ludwig's costume, he was possibly meant to be a werewolf. "Ciao!" he said, happily as he spotted Alfred looking.

Ludwig rounded on him. "Feliciano! You went to sleep again!" His voice was raised as if he was scolding more than one person. Alfred flinched and people started to stare. He seemed to notice and lowered his voice before continuing. "You slept in and then you slept in the car. How could you possibly need more sleep?"

"Any time is siesta time if you're tired enough!" exclaimed Feliciano with a grin. He looked around. "Have you seen Fratello?" he asked.

"Nein. Have you seen my bruder?"

"No!" was the cheerful reply.

Noticing Alfred listening in, Ludwig turned to him. "My friend here does not like to be left alone, especially on Halloween. So I brought him along. My brother and his brother decided to follow us here."

"Ah! There's my Fratello! Fratello Tonio is here, too!"

Alfred turned to look in the same direction as Feliciano and nearly spat out his lemonade. Another man who looked a lot like Feliciano, only grumpier, had just entered the room, scowling. In fact, if he smiled, he would look identical. Perhaps they were twins. But that was not what had shocked him – what had shocked him was the fact that Feliciano's brother was dressed as a tomato. His face was as red as the outfit and he was probably looking annoyed for that reason.

Beside him, a taller man with brown hair and a tan was looking cheerful. He was wearing a light shirt and a pair of black pants which were rolled up to the knees. A large, round straw hat was on his head, a piece of string stopping it from blowing away in the non-existent wind.

Feliciano hurried over to them, greeting them enthusiastically. The taller one smiled and replied; the one who looked like the Italian didn't seem to bother with saying anything. Instead, he glowered around the room as if daring someone to comment.

"Those are some crazy costumes!" said Alfred with a grin.

"Very... interesting..." Alfred heard Arthur mutter.

Eventually, Feliciano convinced his brothers to come over to their group. The tomato had some difficulty but he made it. "Ve! This is my fratello, Lovino!" He pointed at the tomato who glared round at them all. "And this is Fratello Tonio!"

"Yo!" said Alfred.

"Ciao,"muttered Lovino.

"Hola!" replied Tonio as cheerfully as he looked. Alfred was a little confused. He was sure that was a Spanish accent. It was definitely a Spanish way to say 'hello'. There was a murmur of hellos from the others.

"We were just saying that Luddy is amazing!" said Feliciano, beaming.

"Chigi!" snapped Lovino. "He is not! Stupid bastardo di patate!" He glared at the German who sighed and shifted uncomfortably.

"Now, now, Lovi. Don't be like that," said Tonio, still smiling. Lovino just glared at him.

Alfred decided to steer the conversation away from the German and commented on Lovino's costume. "Pretty cool costume you have there, Lovino."

Lovino reddened. "Sì. What of it?"

"Just wondering why you chose to be a tomato."

"It was _his_ stupid idea!" snapped Lovino, glaring at Tonio.

"Sí," said the Spaniard. "I am a recogedor de tomates and Lovino is my tomate." He smiled broadly and Lovino turned red again, looking anywhere but his companion.

"Cool! So you're in a duo costume?"

" Sì!" said Feliciano. "It is really cute, isn't it?" He beamed at them. It was once again met with the narrowed eyes of his twin.

"Hallo!" said another German voice. Alfred glanced round to Ludwig's other side to see yet another man. He was shorter than Ludwig but he looked just as strong. He sported white hair and red eyes which Alfred could see through his round, fake glasses. He also had cat ears on his head, a fake moustache which had been glued on a little sloppily and was wearing an odd combination of a suit with a long pink skirt over the top. Something had been tied round his middle back-to-front but Alfred couldn't tell what it was from the front. The man grinned at the attention from Alfred and raised his hand in greeting. "I am the awesome Gilbert. I am Ludwig's older bruder." He looked towards the Spaniard. "Tonio! There you are! I was wondering where you had got to."

Tonio smiled again. "Hola, Gil! You have... an interesting costume!"

"Ja! Danke! It was my own awesome idea!"

"It is simply amazing, Gil. You could market that, could you not?"

"Ja? You think so! Awesome!"

"Bruder," said Ludwig. "Wo auf der Erde bist du gewesen?"

"Umsah. Ich meine, die Toilette." Gilbert then winked as if to emphasise that there was a big secret.

Ludwig shot a worried look at Alfred who blinked. "Ah, Bruder," he said. "This is Alfred – the son of Herr Jones."

Gilbert's eyes widened and he glanced at the young man. He stared back in confusion. "Ah, guten Abend, Alfred," he said, sticking his hand out. Alfred shook it with a bemused smile.

A short silence fell over the group. It was soon broken by Arthur speaking up. "I'm going to pay a visit to the bathroom, too. I'll be right back." He handed his glass to Francis who took it without comment. Then he rushed off, smiling politely at everyone.

"Alfred!" his mother called. "Come over here!"

"'Kay!" he shouted back and hurried off to her. He glanced back at the group and saw them begin another conversation. He also saw that Gilbert had an apron on back-to-front. "What is it?" he asked his mother as he reached her.

"Have you spoken to Michael yet? You remember Michael, don't you? He was your best friend in middle school."

"No. Is he here?" Alfred watched his mother nod as the excitement built up in him. He hadn't seen the boy in the year since he had moved and he had no idea that his parents had invited him.

"Yes. I believe he is the one dressed as Batman."

"Sweet!" exclaimed Alfred and hurried off to find him.

* * *

Alfred had decided to find his travelling companions once again – his talk with Michael had been fun but there were other people to talk to and his mom was shooting him pointed looks. He found Kiku sitting on the couch next to Francis who had taken off the wig and stripped off the outer dress. He was now wearing what looked like Marie Antoinette's undergarments. Despite that, girls were eyeing him and giggling when he blew them kisses.

"Hey," said Alfred. "Where's everyone else?"

"I believe that Ludwig-san took his aniki and Feliciano-san home. His aniki was getting rather rowdy. Lovino-san and Antonio-san left with them."

"Aw, man! I didn't talk to them much!" Alfred pouted. "Antonio... What's the deal with him? Isn't he Feli's brother? Why's he talking in Spanish?"

Kiku glanced at Francis. "I do not presume to know so much about people I have just met, Alfred-kun."

Alfred turned to Francis with an expectant look. The Frenchman happily obliged. "When the two Italians were young, their parents died. They lived with their grandparents for a while but they died a few years later. They had one family member left but their aunt wanted only one of them. She took Feliciano with her and sent Lovino to live with their neighbour, Antonio and his parents. And so Feliciano calls him their brother. Même si je suis sûr Lovino voit les choses différemment." He smiled knowingly.

"That's awful!" exclaimed Alfred. "And yet, Feli's so cheerful..." He looked upset for a moment before frowning. There was still someone missing. But who was it? "Ah! Where's Arthur?"

"Etto..." said Kiku, at a loss.

"Have you seen him since he went to the washroom?"

"Etto... I am unsure..."

"I think he may have returned for a drink or deux," said Francis, pausing to wink at his gaggle of girls and causing them to giggle. "But he may be upstairs again."  
"Okay... I think I'll go look for him, then. Make sure he's not passed out somewhere." He placed his glass down on the table next to a half-full glass. He wasn't sure but it looked like Arthur's glass from earlier. He frowned. Was the guy all right? He hurried off.

Upstairs, he found a young woman emerging from the bathroom. He smiled at her and she smiled shyly back. She was pretty with long blonde hair and luscious-looking lips. Her eyes were green but, as she stared back at him, Alfred decided that her eyes weren't quite as brilliant as Arthur's. He turned from her and looked along the hall to stop her seeing his blush, a little frustrated that he'd thought that. As he did, however, he noticed that his old room door was slightly ajar. Curious, he moved forwards and opened the door more and looked inside.

Arthur was sitting on the bed, staring at something like a book in his hands. Alfred spotted the sheen of plastic and immediately knew what it was. "Hey!" he exclaimed, rushing forward and surprising his old friend. "That's mine!" He held his hand out, a frown on his face.

"Ah, yes. Of course," said Arthur and handed it over without fuss. "I just hadn't expected you to keep it all this time." He gazed at it as Alfred took it and hugged it to his chest. "I didn't expect you to keep it at all..."

The American felt himself heating up as those dazzling green eyes raised to meet his. "I- Well, it was my first one, wasn't it?" Carefully, he carried the old comic book to his desk and placed it gently down. It had been on the shelf above it, pride of place, facing the room. He had put it there in an effort to remind himself of the heroes of the world when he was navigating his way through school. He turned back to Arthur who was averting his gaze. "What're you doing in here, anyway?"

"Ah. Er. Well... I just wanted to reminisce," said the now flustered Brit.

"Dude, you sound like an old man!"

"Shut up!" snapped Arthur. "I do not! I... It was just... When we lived here... That was the happiest time of my life..."

Alfred felt guilty. The man was fiddling with his toy Sonic Screwdriver nervously and his face was red. "Really?" asked Alfred.

"Yes..." said Arthur. "I thought about writing to you but I decided you would have forgotten about me. Or that you wouldn't want to be bothered by me." He glanced at the comic. "I never expected..."

"Oh, c'mon. You really thought that? Wow, you're depressing!" He grinned down at Arthur who scowled at him. "Why would I forget about something so amazing? Or the person that introduced me to it?" He tilted his head. "Are you normally like this?"

"No, just- I need more alcohol."

"Really? I think you probably need less!" He laughed as Arthur once again glowered at him.

"Whichever. I need something to drink, nonetheless." He sighed and stood up. "Are you coming?"

Alfred nodded and hurried after him, frowning slightly. He had hoped that his joke would cheer him up somewhat. However, he didn't seem to have considered it funny. He was a little disappointed. He was sure The Gentleman would have laughed. He blushed as he thought of the hero, wondering why he had come to mind...

* * *

It was a fun party and it went on well into the early hours of the morning. Alfred had promised Kiku that they would go home the day after so they could both work on an assignment. They caught the train in much more normal attire, though they had varying degrees of fashion, according to Francis. Once on the train, Alfred drifted off to sleep – he was exhausted from too many late nights with games and the party had worn him out. As he slept, voices whispered – voices he recognised.

"Did you find anything?" said Arthur's voice.

"Non," said Francis' voice.

"Chigau," said Kiku's voice.

"Neither did I, really," said Arthur. "That was a waste of time."

"Not necessarily," argued Francis. "It was fun."

There was a sigh, no doubt from Arthur as he said, "It wasn't – Ludwig and the others shocked me. I wasn't expecting that. They should have told us."

Kiku piped up. "We covered well, though."

There was a slight pause before Francis spoke again. "And what about... him?"

Another pause. "Well..." said Arthur. "He's definitely one of us."

"Then why have his powers not manifested yet?"

Feeling uncomfortable and a little confused by what he was hearing, Alfred shifted a little. After a few minutes of silence, he suddenly found himself in front of a collapsing building. With people still being inside, he ran forward and stopped it with his superhuman strength. He lifted it up and all the people managed to run to safety. Then the bad guys in their black costumes and evil capes turned up. He blasted them with bolts of energy and stopped their evil plans. The people he saved came running to him, cheering and calling his name over and over again. They kept saying things like 'Alfred for mayor; Alfred for senator; Alfred for President; Alfred'-

"Alfred!"

He blinked and sat up. Arthur had been calling his name and shaking his shoulder. He was still on the train, sprawled over two seats. Putting a hand to his neck, he rubbed at it as he tried to get rid of the crick that had formed. He glanced round but didn't see the other two. "Where other?" he asked, groggily.

"They've already gotten off the train, idiot. Come on, we can't stay here. Honestly, just sleeping anywhere as you please..." He walked off, carrying his bag over his shoulder. Alfred stumbled to his feet, grabbed his own bag on the second attempt and staggered after him as he rubbed his eyes. "What on Earth were you dreaming about, anyway? 'I don't want to be President', you were saying."

He blushed and muttered an "I dunno". He hoped Arthur would drop the subject – he was relieved to find that he was distracted once he alighted from the train. He turned and watched Alfred get off and stretch.

"Well," said Arthur. "I need to go to the library. Which, I'm afraid, is the opposite direction of your flat- apartment. I suppose... I'll see you around?"

Alfred nodded. "Of course!" He glanced around the platform. "Where are the other two?"

Arthur shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. I assume Kiku wanted to get to work and left already. He probably asked Francis to pass on his apologies. However, that stupid, cheese-eating monkey probably spotted a suitable mate and raced after it, like the animal he is."

"Ah, okay. Well, I'll see them around, anyway. Bye, Artie!"

With an unamused look, Arthur nodded at him. "Goodbye, Alfred." And with that, he turned and hurried off. Alfred watched him go as he stretched again. Then he sauntered off along the platform and in the direction of his games.

* * *

_**Gentleman-H8er will come up again - but far, far into the future. I just wanted to lay in the presence of this person just now. However, I won't tell you who it is, sorry. **_

_**I apologise profusely for Francis' costume. I was trying to think of historic French people for him to dress as and Marie Antoinette popped into my head. The image of him in a huge dress stuck so I went with that. As I was writing, I remembered about Napoleon but decided not to bother changing it. And, just now, I remembered Joan of Arc which would have made more sense but there are a few jokes I like in here now so it's not getting changed.**_

_**Using "mom" and "washroom" is weird - I'd just thought I'd let you know that. My story probably looks odd with "mom" and "realised" - a mix of British and American English. Wonderful.**_

_**I almost forgot to explain "Fratello Tonio". I guess I could have explained it later but I thought Alfred would ask. Really, he would have asked them directly only the conversation changed and he got distracted...**_

_**That's all I can really think of. If you have anything to ask, you can, but it's most likely going to be resolved later.**_


	6. Rock and Roll Doctor

_**More characters and the heroes actually fighting evil and stuff! I mean, last chapter was a Halloween party. But this time, it's back to normal. I should have written this in October...**_

* * *

The next time Alfred saw his hero was a week after Halloween. He was walking home from college rather later than normal. Kiku had insisted he do the work for his part of their project on his own and that had meant being in the library for far longer than he liked. But he had finished it and he was looking forward to going home to play more of his games.

As he was hurrying through the streets, a movement caught his eye. He glanced around and found himself looking into a dark alley. Frowning, he slowed and halted, staring into the shadows. What had caught his attention? Was it a stray cat or a rat? He bit his lip as he hesitated, wondering whether he should investigate or just forget about it and go home for his games.

Just as his games had won his attention, he saw movement again, this time scaling the building to the right of the alley. He blinked and looked closer. "Oh, wow!" he whispered to himself, a grin forming. He watched as Ninja finally reached the roof and disappeared from sight.

Not caring if people thought he was strange or rude, Alfred followed, keeping his eyes on the rooftops far above. He bumped into a few people but kept moving, calling out an apology over his shoulder. He rounded a corner and was glad that Ninja wasn't jumping across traffic – he couldn't keep his eyes on the hero and not be hit by a car.

When he came to another alley, he stopped and stared at the point where he had last saw the mysterious man. Glancing across the gap, he could see no more movement. Had he entered the building? Had he missed him jumping? Or was he in the alley...?

Deciding to start with the alley, he glanced around to make sure no-one was watching him. Then Alfred crept forward, peering into the darkness. The light from a dim lamp on the side of one of the buildings illuminated two figures. Not sure who they were, Alfred found a dumpster to crouch behind and listen.

"What's going on?" asked one. He had an English accent. Alfred's heart skipped a beat. Was it The Gentleman?

"I am not sure," said the other. He had a Japanese accent and Alfred decided that he must be Ninja. He wondered briefly what they were talking about – nothing was really happening. Wondering if he could see them, he shifted to look around the obstruction. However, he grimaced and shifted back, trying to get his balance. As he did so, there was movement at the entrance to the alley; someone was approaching. Alfred's eyes widened in surprise and glee as he saw who it was. He was also rather confused as to how the Rose could stand being naked at night and in the middle of November. He tried to keep still but still wobbled on the balls of his feet.

The French hero strode past him and spoke to the two men. "Zey found out about zem. Zey intend to storm zeir 'ome et kidnap zem."

"We _must_ stop them," said the Englishman. His tone had shifted a little, making him sound a lot more British and exactly like The Gentleman. It _was_ Alfred's hero and his heart started beating faster in excitement. If he could keep out of the way, maybe he could see The Gentleman saving someone – then he could show that person who hated him. It would be proof that he was simply awesome.

"Oui," the Rose was saying as Alfred tuned back in. "We know where zey are mais _elle_ ees guarding zem." He gestured for them to follow him and The Gentleman trailed after the naked hero. Ninja seemed to simply disappear but Alfred knew he was following. So did he, rising up a little and, half-crouching, half-walking, he began to follow his heroes to their destination.

It was rather odd to see the heroes walking along the street. The people who caught sight of them when they moved from shadow to shadow stared at them in disbelief. Some of them hurried past, looking horrified at their appearance. Most of them stared at the Rose, though, his naked body not a friendly sight for the families roaming the streets. The Gentleman got less stares, however – in fact, he seemed to have increased his speed and hurried off. He was so far ahead that Alfred found himself far behind, following only the Rose. He mentally shrugged – either way, he would eventually come across the Gentleman again.

However, when they finally turned into another alley – this one well lit – The Gentleman was not the only one he set eyes on. Ninja and The Gentleman were standing next to two other men. When Alfred manoeuvred himself into a fairly good hiding position where he could see everyone he noticed that the taller man was wearing a simple, grey eyemask. His grey top barely covered his bulging muscles and his grey trousers (or, perhaps, tights) were a little _too_ tight for Alfred's liking – he had to drag his alarmed gaze away. His grey boots came to his knees, tied tightly. The grey military cap was the thing which identified him: he was Das Orakel, a hero whose ability to read minds usually helped to bring down culprits. He was made all the better by his natural strength which terrified the thugs on the street.

The smaller man had a red top with silk parts which protruded from his back. These were attached to his arms so that, when he flapped his arms, he looked as though he was flapping wings. The dark orange leggings he was wearing and the feathery eye mask with the protruding nose gave him the appearance of a bird. A Songbird to be precise, the hero who never left Das Orakel's side.

This was amazing in of itself but then Alfred saw who they were facing. The woman had long blonde hair tied back with a silver ribbon. She wore a knee-length silver dress, the front of it rolled up and attached to some garters for optimum movement. The back of the dress was left as normal and Alfred was sure it would look amazing when she ran. Or kicked as she was more likely to do. The eyemask she wore was shaped like two pairs of open scissors over each eye to represent the fact that she was lethal with the blades her hands formed into. Edwina Scissorhands, as the public called her, was not a person to be trifled with. At the moment, she seemed to be stopping them from going into a small club.

Alfred almost let out a squeal of pleasure and anticipation. He was about to watch several of the best heroes go up against one of the most lethal of villains. He clapped his hands over his mouth to stop himself from making any sounds as he watched, terribly excited for the battle which would take place.

"I will ask you once again," The Gentleman said, barely glancing at the arrival of the Rose. "Move aside, Miss Scissorhands."

The woman didn't answer but Alfred saw Das Orakel put a hand to his head. "Be careful, Gentleman. She intends to attack vhen you glance away."

"Noted. Thank you," replied the British hero.

"Rose, she has changed her plan. Move to the side."

The Rose did so and, no sooner had he done that, than Edwina was launching herself towards where he had been. Sparks flew as her knife-hands came into contact with the dumpster that Alfred was hiding behind. He jumped and gasped but tried to keep his voice down.

"Now, Songbird," said Ninja calmly.

"Sì!" said the Songbird cheerily as the heroes backed off and put their fingers in their ears. Alfred noted that Songbird was smiling but was otherwise too caught up in the fight to note the warning signs. Then the Songbird opened his mouth and began to sing. It seemed to be in Italian and Alfred didn't understand a word of it. "Ninna nanna, ninna oh. Questo bimbo a chi lo dò? Se lo dò alla Befana, Se lo tiene una settimana."

Suddenly, Alfred felt rather drowsy. It was at this point that he remembered the Songbird's ability: anyone who heard his dulcet tones would fall into a sleep for hours. He rubbed at his eyes, trying to stop himself from sleeping even as he yawned. He wobbled on the balls of his feet, his bag starting to slip from his shoulder. He caught it as his bleary eyes looked round at Edwina.

It was having an effect on her. She stumbled into the dumpster and clung to it. She snarled at the hero before she yawned. Her eyes were closing. However, as the other heroes began to move towards the unguarded door, she snarled again and slashed at the air. At first, Alfred thought that nothing had happened. Then his tired eyes caught sight of the knife flying through the air towards Songbird. Das Orakel cried out and, with a cry of his own, the Songbird ducked. The knife buried itself harmlessly into the wall.

As soon as the Italian hero stopped singing, Alfred felt as though he had just woken up. He rubbed his bleary eyes before lowering his glasses again and blinking. He watched as the Songbird turned in fright and ran to Das Orakel, wailing.

"Lu- Orakel! Orakel!" he shouted. When he reached the German hero, he flung his arms around the taller man's neck and threw himself, sobbing, onto his shoulder. A tinge appeared on Das Orakel's cheeks but Alfred was too far away and the lighting was too dim for him to know if it was red. "She-a- She-a nearly killed-a me!"

Das Orakel wrapped a thick arm around him. "Do not vorry, Songbird. I vill not let her harm you. She vill not throw anything at you again." He glared at Edwina.

Alfred glanced at Edwina – and realised that she was looking right at him. The dumpster had moved with both attacks and his cover had disappeared. She now had a direct path to him. Alfred's eyes widened as she stared blankly back at him.

"Y-Yo?" he said.

The simple word seemed to break a spell. Suddenly, she launched herself at him, her bladed arm outstretched. With a yelp, Alfred leapt out of the way. He heard a ripping noise and looked round: his bag had been caught and had split in two, his books and project work going everywhere. As pages fluttered across his vision, Alfred noticed a hand coming towards him. Alarmed, he could do nothing in mid-air as the hand grabbed his arm and pulled him; he found himself falling into Edwina's arms. She wrapped an arm around him and he heard a noise as of metal scraping off metal. He gaped in horror as her hand became a knife. It pointed directly at his throat.

"Alfred!" he heard the Gentleman exclaim. He looked round; the Gentleman was gripping his cane tightly.

"Vhat is he doing here?!" said Das Orakel.

"He forrowed us here from the arrey where Rose-san, Gentreman-san to watashi met," said Ninja, mater-of-factly.

"Why did you do nothing to stop him?!" exclaimed The Gentleman, seeming to be rather upset.

"I saw no reason to stop Alfred-san from forrowing us. I had the sense that he wourd not interfere."

"Hej," said Edwina. "Listen to what I have to say." The heroes looked to her, their stances ready for action. "If you do not leave vialiki Brat alone, I will kill this amierykanski."

There was a pause. During this, Alfred frowned. He was sure he had heard the words ' vialiki Brat' before. Though he couldn't put his finger on it... Deciding to give up on his memory, he turned his head to look at Edwina. Her mouth was in a grim line but that didn't stop her from looking rather pretty, even if she _was_ a villain.

"Hey," he said, breaking the silence. "I'd just like to say that, even if you're a bad guy, it's still _really_ cool that I got to meet you."

Another silence descended on the group. Then Edwina shifted her blade and Alfred felt something nick his cheek. The heroes all tensed and The Gentleman stepped forward before hesitating when he saw that all she had done was scratch him.

"Ow! Watch what-" Alfred began.

"Maŭčać!" snapped Edwina.

Although Alfred wasn't entirely sure what that meant, he understood what she wanted him to do. He bit his lip in an effort to stop himself from saying anything.

"Let the fellow go," demanded The Gentleman, taking another half-step forward.

"Spyniacca na dasiahnutym," said the woman, touching Alfred's neck with the tip of her blade. Alfred tensed and The Gentleman stopped moving.

The Gentleman seemed to be about to speak when the Rose suddenly chuckled. Everyone looked at him and he produced a black rose, twirling it between his thumb and forefinger. "I wonder what ze deux of zem are doing in zere," he said, sighing. He brought the rose to his nose and sniffed at it.

"What are you talking about?" snapped Edwina, glaring at him.

"Why, surely you know, ma chérie?"

"Što?!" said Edwina, narrowing her eyes further.

"Come now, chérie. Surely you know zat The Big Freeze and the Shadower are togezzer inside? I wonder if zey will be setting up ze bedroom around now?" He chuckled again, twirling the rose.

Everything came to a standstill as Edwina seemed to mull it over. Alfred wondered how this information was going to help anyone. The Gentleman was staring at Alfred intently, as if willing for him to be set free. However, Alfred saw his furtive glances at Edwina as if he was waiting to make sure she couldn't see him. The Songbird was still clinging to Das Orakel but he was peering round at them, curious. Ninja seemed to be waiting for something.

And then it happened. Edwina growled suddenly, alarming Alfred. "Vialiki Brat!" she snarled, before pushing Alfred from her. Alfred began to fall backwards, nothing to stop him. However, he was glad he was safe – or so he thought before Edwina twirled round, her skirt flying, her blade slicing through the air. A pain hit Alfred's chest and he gasped as blood sprayed from the wound. Then Edwina turned again and was gone, heading towards the club's door. Alfred hit the ground hard, the wind driven from him.

In an instant, The Gentleman was by Alfred's side. "Alfred!" he exclaimed, looking down on the injured American. He placed his gloved hands over Alfred's chest but his mouth twisted into a frown.

Behind him, Alfred could hear Das Orakel giving orders. "Stop her! Do not let her get inside!"

Alfred coughed, trying to get his breath back. However, he felt something in his mouth. It dribbled down his chin and, when he looked back up at The Gentleman, he had some of it on his face and his mask. Blood. The Gentleman's mouth opened in horror as he stared down at Alfred. "No..." he whispered.

Suddenly, the Gentleman looked round, raising his cane at movement beside them. However, he soon lowered it as they both saw who it was. A man wearing jeans with a chain attached. His shoes were a pair of yellow Converses. Finally, his top seemed to be faux fur with feathers attached to his arms and his eyemask had a hooked nose. The Birdman had landed.

"Kesesese!" he exclaimed, running a hand through his white hair. "You do no need to point that at me, Augenbrauen!"

"I have no time to rebuke you – you are here to take him to the Healer, yes?"

"Ja! Get back to the fight and I vill take him to Hauptsitz!" Alfred watched through bleary eyes as The Gentleman disappeared from his view and Birdman came closer. He felt hands underneath him and he was lifted.

Even though he knew Birdman's power, he still wasn't prepared for the speed at which he took off into the air. One moment he was dangling in Birdman's arms; the next he could feel the force pushing him down as they shot into the air. They flew straight up for several metres and then halted. Alfred started to feel light-headed – though whether it was from the blood loss or the sudden flight, he couldn't tell. They hovered for a moment and then shot across the tall buildings of the city. With the wind battering his face, Alfred squeezed his eyes closed.

It seemed like they had barely moved when, suddenly, he felt himself dropping. He gasped and opened his eyes wide in alarm. Above him, Birdman glanced at him before laughing his strange laugh. The touch-down was softer than he had imagined and he gazed up through his swimming vision to see a tall, glass building. The hero kicked open the doors and marched to the elevator. When he reached it, he stabbed his finger into the button for the top floor and they waited as it rose from the first floor to the second – and then stopped on the third. Alfred could feel Birdman tense as the doors slowly opened and could almost feel his glare at the couple who gasped and stared as the doors closed on them again. It took only another minute for them to reach their destination and the doors slowly opened.

"Civilian, coming through! Kesesese!" shouted Birdman into whatever was on the other side. Then he ran forward, making a beeline for a particular room in the massive space that was present. Alfred craned his neck and squinted to see the other heroes who were present. They all seemed to be lowering their masks into position, staring at their process. Finally, Birdman kicked open another door. He placed Alfred gently on a cold metal bed of some sort. "One for you, birdie," he said cheerfully before turning and sweeping from the room.

Alfred looked round, trying to make out who the hero had been talking to. However, his vision was swimming and all he could see was a blur. The blur hurried closer. Alfred blinked and squinted, still trying to make him out. "Eh?" he heard the man say. "You're still conscious?" Alfred tried to speak but all that came out was an inarticulate gargle. Then he began to cough. "Just relax," said the voice.

He felt the man place gloved hands on his chest over the wound; he winced and tried not to move, trusting the ally. There was a silence for a few minutes and then Alfred blinked and he could see again. In fact, he felt better than ever and he found himself staring at the ceiling while his saviour busied himself elsewhere. He sat up, finding himself on a metal operating table. He pulled up his ripped, bloodied and ruined t-shirt and stared at his smooth chest. He slapped a hand to where the wound had been which caused him to cough. When he took his hand away, he found blood and his eyes widened.

"Sorry," said the man. "I couldn't remove the blood already in your lungs. You're just going to have to cough it up, eh?"

Finally, Alfred looked round at the Healer. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open as he took in the sight of someone who looked a _lot_ like him. The man had the same shape of face, blonde hair and wore glasses. His eyes, however, were violet and, instead of a cowlick, he had a curl of hair that sprung out at an angle and bobbed as he moved. To Alfred, he looked smaller in height but he reckoned he was, in all actuality, the same height – it was just the diminutive way in which he carried himself. He also appeared to be holding a cuddly polar bear teddy. He hugged it tight as Alfred swung his legs off the table and stood, still staring at him.

"Eh... My name is Matthew. It's nice to meet you – The Gentleman's told us a lot about you." He smiled and held out his hand. Alfred took it.

As he shook it, he said, "You look a lot like me..."

"Eh, well, yes..." said Matthew, looking apologetic.

"Wait..." said Alfred, realising something. "You just told me your secret identity!"

"Eh, it's not really secret," said Matthew with a shrug.

"It's not?!"

"Well, no. I don't need to keep it a secret."

"Why not?"

"Because..." Matthew looked rather uncomfortable but he continued anyway. "I... I have a natural gift of being able to go unnoticed. It's not as if I become invisible or anything," he added hurriedly as Alfred opened his mouth. "It's not a power. It's just that I manage to walk into a room and be sat on – those kind of things. So I don't need to keep myself hidden – because no-one ever remembers me."

"I'll remember!" exclaimed Alfred excitedly. "How could I forget? You could practically be my twin!" Matthew seemed to flinch at the sentiment, looking worried, but Alfred ignored this. "You're Canadian, aren't you? You're pretty much like me but less awesome!" He grinned at the Healer who raised an eyebrow and stared back.

It was at this moment that the door was flung open and The Gentleman strode in, taking off his hat as he did so. His face was clean but his black gloves had disappeared – probably covered in blood. As soon as he spotted Alfred, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness," he breathed.

"Gentleman!" exclaimed Alfred, turning red and forgetting Matthew at the sight of the man.

"Eh, Gentleman. What happened with the others?" asked Matthew.

"Ah, yes. They fled. I came here as soon as possible. The others will arrive soon enough."

"D-Did I miss an epic battle?" asked Alfred, a little sheepishly.

The Gentleman looked round at him and stared for a moment before marching across to him. "What on Earth did you think you were playing at, Alfred?" he said, dangerously calmly. "You could have been killed."

"Well, I was trying not to be!" said Alfred with an attempt at a grin. However, the man's tone had unnerved him. He felt as if he had let the hero down. He bit his lip a little and tried to think of something to say, something to change the subject to. "Ah... Did my bag make it? Hahaha," he added so that the present company would understand the joke.

After a slight pause, The Gentleman seemed to relax. "Was there anything in particular that you needed from it?"

"My project work was in it – and I spent _hours_ on that!" Alfred complained.

"Follow me. You will have to wait here while I go back."

The American complied, barely remembering to wave at Matthew as he left the room. Now that he could see clearly he gazed around the space. It seemed that the whole of the top floor of the building had been changed into the heroes' personal space. There was depression in the middle which housed a table and various chairs and sofas. A television also stood in the space – it was the largest one Alfred had ever seen and it seemed to be displaying several different channels at once. Doors lined one wall and a corridor led deeper into the apartment. Opposite the infirmary, the windows were floor to ceiling. As he stared out, he saw something flying straight towards them. Before he had the time to warn anyone, Birdman carrying Songbird flew through a window without hindrance. The window seemed intact afterwards – Alfred gaped at the technology in surprise and awe. The flying hero continued on, through the room, before alighting in front of The Gentleman.

"Ve! Lu-" Songbird stopped talking when he spotted Alfred. "Orakel says-a he will-a be back soon-a!" he declared.

"Kesesese!" said Birdman. "Did Birdie fix you up, then, freund?"

"Yeah!" exclaimed Alfred, excitedly. "It was totally awesome! Pain one minute; next, nothing!" He grinned at them.

"Alfred, this way, if you please." The Gentleman nodded at the two heroes and skirted round them. He strode down the stairs into the depression and towards a sofa where a person was sitting. Alfred hadn't noticed him before but, at this angle, he could see him better. He had blonde hair and blue eyes behind his glasses. He was watching the screens and tapping on keyboard. "This is our technical support," explained The Gentleman. "He tells us when there's a problem and we can go deal with it."

"Really?!" Alfred said, astonished. "I thought you guys could sense it or something."

"No. He stays here and monitors TV channels, social networking sites, et cetera, and tells us when people post about our area." At Alfred's glance, The Gentleman continued to explain. "There are so many heroes that we would argue over who was being the... hero, as it were, in each situation. So we all have different areas in the city and only band together when we are going against stronger villains."

"Oh, cool!" said Alfred.

"I will leave you in his care whilst I retrieve your bag. Please excuse me."

Alfred nodded and turned to look at the man. When he turned back, The Gentleman had disappeared. Birdman and Songbird, however, were talking with Matthew. With a shrug, Alfred sat next to the man and watched him. He never ceased typing on the keyboard and he seemed to be talking to someone through an earpiece. Alfred glanced up at the screen which was showing different views of streets and casinos and such like.

"Hey," Alfred finally said. "What do I call you?" He had never heard of the man before and, apparently, like Matthew, he had no need to hide his identity.

The man turned to look at him, taking out the earpiece. He stopped typing but Alfred gasped as the keys continued to move. He must have the power to control technology. "Vabandust," he said. "My name is Eduard." They shook hands. "The Gentleman will be back soon," he assured Alfred.

"Really? I thought the alley was quite far away..."

"Well..." said Eduard, looking a little confused. "That is-" Before he could finish, a movement caught Alfred's eye and he turned to see Das Orakel, Ninja, Rose and The Gentleman entering the headquarters. His bag was in The Gentleman's hands and he leapt over the sofa as he rushed to him.

"Didja get it all? Didja really get it all already?!"

"Yes, this is all of it," said The Gentleman, handing it over.

Alfred took it and was tempted to hug the hero. However, he decided against it and instead hugged his bag. "Thanks!" he said, cheerily, beaming at him. The Gentleman's cheeks turned red.

"W-Well..." The Gentleman cleared his throat before continuing. "I shall take you home."

"Oh, there's no-"

"I would like to make sure you get home safely and without any troubles, Alfred," he told the American.

Secretly, Alfred was ecstatic. Outwardly, though, he pouted and grumbled his acceptance. He followed the British hero out of the headquarters and back down to the ground, the elevator running a lot faster than before.

* * *

"Hey, d'ya wanna come in for a drink or anything?" asked Alfred when they finally reached his door. He didn't want The Gentleman to leave, especially after the mostly quiet journey. The hero had only berated him as much as gentlemanly possible about the dangers of following heroes. Alfred wanted more time with him.

"I do apologise but I had better get back," said the hero, turning to go.

"Wait!" said Alfred, hurriedly. The Gentleman's cape fluttered again as he turned to look at him questioningly. "I still get a question, don't I?"

"What on Earth are you talking about? I never saved you."

"But-!" began Alfred but the hero had already left, disappearing along the corridor. Alfred watched him go before muttering the rest of his sentence. "But I _want_ you to save me..." After a moment of staring at where The Gentleman had been, his eyes widened as he realised what he had said. He sounded like a heroine. Annoyed at himself, he hurried indoors, his face red.

* * *

The next day, Alfred met Kiku at the library to look over everything for the project. However, Alfred launched into the tale of the previous night, grinning. Kiku seemed amused at several points but Alfred ignored it and carried on regardless. People nearby kept hushing them. Finally, Arthur appeared looking rather frustrated. When he saw the two friends, he sighed.

"I should have known it would be you," he said, keeping his voice low.

"Yo, Artie! Guess what?!"

"I have utterly no idea," Arthur sighed.

"The Gentleman saved me again last night!"

Arthur looked shocked even as he reddened. "Wh... What?" he breathed. Next to Alfred, Kiku was hiding his laughter. Arthur shot him a look. Alfred ignored all of that and began his story again, excitedly telling him about how he had gotten cut and The Gentleman had worried over him, had called Birdman, had made sure he was all right, had saved his bag and had taken him home. At the end of the tale, Arthur looked amused as well. He rolled his eyes.

"You really do need to stop living in a fantasy world."

* * *

_**I think everything is self-explanatory.  
**_

_**The reason Edwina - I mean, Natalya - slashes Alfred is because she's hoping that they'll fuss over him and she'd get the time to get into her brother and Yao.**_

_**The reason Ludwig wants her stopped is because he thinks that, separated, they can defeat them slightly easier.**_

_**Eduard never really leaves HQ which is why he can give out his name so easily.**_

_**Matthew's "never remembered" thing is definitely not a secret power. Just nature taking its course, heh. But, in all reality, I wanted a Healer and thought of Matthew. Afterwards, I thought of invisibility but thought that that was too clichéd. **_

_**It may seem like Alfred's in love with The Gentleman but he's not figured out whether he does or not. That was how this started out. Alfred as a fanboy, Arthur as the hero he likes the best, they fall in lover, have a Spidey kiss in the rain, the works. Then I started adding in characters and the romance thing kinda... Well, we'll see. ;) At least, I do. You'll have to wait for now.  
**_

_**I think all the language stuff is explained by context.**_

_**The thing Feli sings is actually an Italian lullaby. At the moment, Feli's power is simply that he can put people to sleep by singing. However, I might have him make other things happen depending on the type of song...**_


	7. Autumn Leaves Revisited

_ **It took me a while to write this. I should really not watch anime/whatever while I'm writing things. ****  
**_

_**I want to apologise for the rather all over the place conversation. I figured that, at some points, Alfred would get excited about things and forget about the more serious stuff for a moment only to have someone remind him.**_

_**Once again, Al's online name is actually :) HERO :)**_

* * *

Alfred logged online and found only Gentleman-H8er on his favourite site. He frowned: did he really want to talk to this person? Unfortunately, he did not get much choice as the person immediately messaged him.

_Gentleman-H8er: Have you accepted the fact that your favourite hero is a fraud?_

_HERO : I still don't get you, dude. What's your problem? He's not a fraud! He's awesome!_

_Gentleman-H8er: He is claiming credit for saving a man when he did very little in the rescue. He is a fraud._

_HERO : What?_

_Gentleman-H8er: A man was carried to their doctor last night – but it wasn't by The Gentleman. It was by Birdman. But the person has obviously been bribed, making it sound as if The Gentleman did everything._

Alfred stared at the screen. How had they known? He had only told his friends. Oh, and those people at the diner he had eaten at. And the pizza delivery man. Feeling his cheeks heat up, he wondered what to say.

_HERO : Maybe the person is a fan?_

_Gentleman-H8er: This is exactly what I feared. _

And with that, the person logged off. Alfred blinked. What had that been about? Shrugging, he was about to log off when he spotted that someone else had appeared. His eyes widened and he hurriedly messaged them, hoping to catch them before they decided to log off.

_HERO : Hey! I heard you were amazing as usual recently!_

_The_Gentleman: Not more so than usual, I can assure you._

_HERO : Do you ever keep in contact with the people you save? Like, do they send you thank you notes and stuff?_

_The_Gentleman: I try to remain anonymous as much as humanly possible._

_HERO : Damn!_

_The_Gentleman: Have I saved you, young maiden? I do not recall meeting you, Amelia._

_HERO : Nah. Not in person. You just really fill me with confidence, talking to me on here, y'know. Saved me from being so lame._

_The_Gentleman: I assure you, I have never seen you to be "lame". You are a clever and sweet girl. It is a shame that I cannot meet you in person. Perhaps, once the world is a better place, I can look for you._

_HERO : Aw, man! That'll take too long! I want to meet you now! :(_

_The_Gentleman: Patience, my dear. Now, I must be away. The city is calling me._

_HERO : Haha! That's so cheesy! But, good luck! And be careful! See ya! xx_

_The_Gentleman: Farewell, sweet Amelia._

Alfred grinned happily at being called sweet before staring at the screen in shock. He had never in his life sent someone kisses online. And now he had given The Gentleman some. What had he been thinking?! What was he doing? What was wrong with him? He groaned and put his head in his arms. He was going to be so embarrassed the next time he spoke to him or saw him. Panicking, he wondered if he should call Kiku or Francis or even Arthur to talk to them about it. Then the doorbell rang and his troubles were forgotten in favour of pizza.

* * *

When Alfred's parents came to the city for Thanksgiving, the college student in question was busy fighting one of the bosses in his games. His cell rang and he paused for a second till he had it pinned at his shoulder. He continued the game as he said, "Yo?"

"Hey, friend!" said his dad, cheerily. "And how is my son on this fine day? Excited for tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?" asked Alfred distractedly, frowning as he blew up part of the bad guy.

"Thanksgiving, Alfred."

"Huh? That's not till Thursday."

"What day do you think it is?"

"Tuesday."

"It's Wednesday – how long have you been playing your video games?"

Alfred paused the game once again, thinking. "Uh... Well..."

"Did you stay up all night again? Your mother and I have told you-"

"I know, sorry! Where are you guys, anyway? I'm supposed to pick you up at the station, right?"

"We're at the station... Perhaps we should just head to where you are – we do know our way."

"Ah!" exclaimed Alfred, leaping up. "I'll be right there! Hang on!" And with that, he hung up. He shoved his feet into some sneakers and tugged on his coat. Grabbing a scarf, he hurried out of his apartment and into the night.

He was running through the streets, hoping his parents wouldn't be too cold waiting for him when something in an alleyway caught his eye. He wondered briefly why he always spotted things like this as he skidded to a halt. He peered through the dark passageway, thankful for the light illuminating the scene.

Three people were blocking the way of two others. Alfred wondered if it was a couple of gangs. Would that mean that The Gentleman would turn up? Excited, Alfred entered the alley, sneaking up behind the three people who were there. One seemed to be dressed entirely in black, their long hair tied back. A woman was there, her dress and long blonde hair visible to Alfred, even in the gloom. The last one was tall and was wearing a scarf, though that was rather unremarkable at this time of year.

Getting closer, Alfred peered through the gloom to peer at the other two. He could see that they both had suitcases at their feet. He stepped closer just as the two people shifted and the light hit them better. He gaped at them. These two people... What were they doing here?

"Are you going to kill us?" one of them said.

"Net. Not yet," replied the tall man in his Russian accent. That was when it hit Alfred – the three people who were before him must be The Shadower, Edwina Scissorhands and, finally, the one who had spoken, The Big Freeze. "You will answer our questions first."

"We can't tell you anything!" one of the couple replied.

"Then you will be kept in our headquarters, aru," said the Shadower, shifting his position to a fighting stance.

"Mom!" exclaimed Alfred. "Dad!"

His parents looked up in shock. The three super villains turned to look at him. "Alfred!" exclaimed his mother. "What are you doing here?!"

"I came to get you. What's going on?!"

"It... It doesn't matter! Go home!" said his dad, firmly.

"But-!"

"This is your syn, da?" said The Big Freeze turning to survey Alfred. "He is special, too? If he stays here much longer, he will be in danger..."

"Huh?" said Alfred, frowning, wondering what he meant by 'special'.

"Alfred!" said his mother. "Listen to your father and go home!"

"No! I want to know what's going on!" he exclaimed, his frown deepening.

"Sorry to intrude," said a voice in Alfred's ear. He gasped and spun round to see The Gentleman standing behind him. Birdman landed beside him a second later, accompanied by the Songbird. They all looked serious. "However, may I be of assistance?"

"Yes," said Alfred's dad immediately. "Take Alfred away from here, please."

"You will help us if we do, ja?" said Birdman. Songbird tilted his head.

After a pause and a sidelong glance, Alfred's parents nodded. "Yes."

"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Alfred. "What the hell's going on?!"

"We do not have time for that, Alfred," said The Gentleman as he took hold of his arm. "I will take him home."

"No-!" began Alfred but he was already travelling away from the alleyway. He looked round at his parents. They gazed back sadly. What was happening? What was going on? What were his parents doing? He turned to The Gentleman whose jaw was set. "Hey! Let me go! I need to go back!"

"You will only get in the way, Alfred. I do apologise."

"But my parents-!" Alfred began when the sound of an explosion hit them. The Gentleman halted, his jaw dropping open. They both turned and stared at the plume of flames rising up from a few blocks away. "What...? Where... is that... coming from...?"

"I..." The Gentleman seemed just as shocked. Alfred stared at him. Did this mean that what was scaring him right now had actually happened? "It... Let us not tarry. Let us go!" The hero grabbed Alfred's arm again and hurried off.

"No! Please! We have to go back!" Alfred exclaimed, trying to pull himself away. It was to no avail and he twisted round to watch as the fire receded into the distance. He was soon out of sight of it. Finding himself in front of his apartment block, he glanced at The Gentleman. He seemed to be worried. The hero made sure Alfred got into his apartment.

"I must go. Please, stay here and I will return shortly." The Gentleman turned to go but Alfred grabbed his wrist and stared into his shaded eyes. The Gentleman looked alarmed but Alfred spoke pleadingly before he could pull away.

"Bring them back. It's Thanksgiving tomorrow. I gotta have them here!"

The Gentleman nodded. "I will make sure you do not spend Thanksgiving alone." And, with that, he pulled his arm from Alfred's grip and hurried off. Alfred watched him leave and bit his lip, retreating into his apartment to hug a pillow and wait.

* * *

When Alfred heard a knock on the door followed by the click as it opened, he leapt up and, still hugging the pillow, hurried into the small hall. The Gentleman was closing the door behind him as he reached him. When he turned, Alfred looked at him with a frown. "Where are they? Where are my mom and dad?"

"Alfred... Perhaps we should go inside."

"Where are they?"

"Alfred, please." The Gentleman laid a hand on his shoulder and began to guide him towards the living room. Once inside he made the American sit at the table. "Alfred... I am afraid-"

"Where are they?!" Alfred demanded, leaning forward and hugging his pillow tighter.

"They..." The Gentleman took a deep breath. "They are in the morgue. I am afraid that they were at the epicentre of an explosion. There was nothing we could do. I am sorry."

For a moment there was silence. Then Alfred laughed loudly. "Haha! You're pulling my leg, aren't you?!" He grinned at his hero. The Gentleman sombrely shook his head. "You're... They're right outside, right?"

The clinking of what the hero placed on the table seemed loud to Alfred. He stared at the rings. When he had reached an age to be interested in girls, his parents had had the talk with him which had swiftly went off into a tangent into how they had met. Both of them had played with their rings while they did so and Alfred remember them. He remembered the little bird on his mother's engagement ring; he remembered the floral pattern on her wedding ring; he remembered the inscription on the inside of his father's band.

All three now lay innocently on the table.

"I thought you should have them," said The Gentleman quietly.

"But... No... How did you...?"

"I must go now. We will take care of them until you are ready."

The American merely stared at the rings in a state of shock. He barely noticed his favourite hero leave. His favourite hero who could save anyone. Who always saved him. Who couldn't save his parents...

Alfred hugged his pillow tightly as his face grew wet...

* * *

It was two days later when Alfred heard someone let themselves into his apartment. He had been ignoring all calls and people knocking so he was surprised someone had the nerve to just walk in. After all, once the Gentleman had left, he hadn't bothered to lock the door. In fact, he had barely moved. Now, he curled up in his position and dipped the spoon into his rapidly disappearing ice cream,, not bothered by the intrusion. Running through his head the list of people it could be, he was only mildly surprised when the Gentleman appeared at the doorway in his full outfit.

"Alfred," he said.

The boy only looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes. He placed the spoon in his mouth and hugged the pillow tightly to him. This caused a clinking sound, the rings on an old chain shifting as he did. He hadn't changed or bathed and he had dark circles under his eyes. However, he still forced himself to grin at the sight of his hero. "Yo! How's it going?"

"Alfred... You realise it has been two days, yes? A lot of people have been worried about you." He glared at the abandoned cell phone on the dining table.

"Yeah, well..." Alfred merely shrugged.

Surveying the room, The Gentleman caught sight of the pile of ice cream tubs littering the floor. Alfred saw him looking and shrugged. "It tastes good and I have nothing else to eat now."

Chewing his lip, the hero shook his head. "This is not good for you. Why have you shut yourself off from the world? At a time like this, you need your friends."

"Nah, I'm fine."

"Do you blame us for what happened?" the other asked suddenly.

The American's eyes widened and he shook his head. "Of course not! It wasn't your fault that they were there in the first place..."

"Ah," said the British hero. He seemed to be relieved. However, after a short silence, he stepped forward, an air of alarm about him. "You do not mean to say that you blame yourself?!"

The spoon dipped into the tub again but Alfred had run out of the cold, creamy foodstuff. He frowned and dropped it where the others had landed. When he stood, he averted his eyes and made his way to the kitchen. "I was supposed to meet them. And I stayed here to play games." He gestured where his consoles lay, all unplugged from the TV. The games were strewn across the floor where he had thrown them in his grief.

"Do not blame yourself, Alfred," said the Gentleman with such ferocity that Alfred paused and turned to look at him. The hero's mouth was set in a grim line, almost as though he was gritting his teeth. "It is the fault of the people who killed them, not you."

Alfred only shrugged again. "I never asked but... Didja catch them?"

"No. I am deeply sor-"

"So they're still out there?" Alfred asked, looking at him with a determined expression. Over the past 48 hours he had been wondering what to do without his parents. He had come across an idea which he needed the Gentleman to agree to – and he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Yes..." said the Gentleman, warily. Alfred turned to hide his sad smile and walked to the fridge-freezer. Reaching it, he turned back, another determined expression fixed on his face.

"Well, I want to help find them."

"Excuse me?" said the Gentleman. He looked taken aback.

"Let me help you find them! You're looking for them, right?! So... Let me be your sidekick. I know everything about you! And I can get gadgets from Eduard and use them and I'd be able to help you and-!"

"No."

"What?" asked Alfred, blinking in surprise.

"I said, 'no'," said the hero firmly. "It is too dangerous. I cannot let you die as well."

"But-"

"No! Alfred, you are alive. Your parents wanted you to live. You cannot put yourself in danger. You must not waste your life away in here eating ice cream either. So-"

"It's not fair!" exclaimed Alfred suddenly. He felt the tears coming again and anger rising within him. How could his hero treat him like that? How could he brush him aside so quickly? He hadn't seen what he could do if he put his mind to it. With these thoughts, Alfred realised he wanted to throw something at the hero. He grabbed the nearest item and lifted it over his head, turning to make sure he wouldn't miss. He was satisfied to see the Gentleman's jaw drop. Alfred shifted his stance to brace himself and, finally, threw it.

The fridge-freezer went sailing through the air and hit the spot where the Gentleman had been a moment before. The hero was now a few feet to the side and was staring at the appliance. Alfred stared at it in shock. What had he done?

"A-Alfred...?" breathed the Gentleman.

"Oh..." said the American as he rushed forward. "My ice cream!"

"Eh?!"

Alfred quickly righted his projectile and opened the freezer part of it. The ice cream tub had not been squashed as he had feared but had only fallen on its side. He sighed in relief and took it out, taking off the lid and immediately taking a spoonful. "Ah, that's a relief!" he said with a grin, forgetting for the moment what he had been doing.

"Uh... Er..." The Gentleman cleared his throat. "Alfred, do you realise what you just did?"

"Hm?" said Alfred around his spoon.

The Gentleman merely pointed at the gap where the fridge-freezer had stood and then at its current resting place. Alfred looked between the two. _Hm? How did that get there? Oh, yeah. I threw it. I picked it up, lifted it over my head and threw it at the Gentleman – ah, I hope he doesn't hate me for that, I didn't mean it! Oh, wait... I _lifted it over my head_?! What?! How did I do that?!_ He dropped his spoon. "... Huh?!" He looked at The Gentleman in shock – the hero looked back, a mildly amused expression on his face.

"I think you should come with me, Alfred," he said. "We should probably introduce everyone to the new and improved you..."

* * *

By the time Alfred had showered (after tripping and ripping the shower curtain down, rail and all) and dressed, Alfred had fully accepted that he had super powers. It hadn't really taken all that long but by the time he reported to the Gentleman for a once over to make sure he was acceptable, Alfred had gotten to the stage of picking out a superhero name for himself.

"What do you think of 'Captain America'?" he asked the Gentleman with a grin.

The man looked up at him with a frown. "I am afraid that Marvel have that one copyrighted."

"Yeah, but, maybe they'd be willing to give it to an all-American hero like me!" Alfred pressed as the more experienced hero led him to the door. The man shook his head.

"You do not suit it," he said.

"Aw..." moaned Alfred, pouting even as he closed and locked his door. "Well, what about 'Mr. America'?"

The Gentleman looked back at him with a blank expression. Shaking his head, he took hold of Alfred's arm. "Come along – I have already told the others to be there as soon as possible. We must go quickly. Especially if we wish to avoid those who would do you harm-"

"What about 'American Hero', then?" asked Alfred as they moved off. The shorter man sighed and shook his head. "Well, if not that, why not 'The Patriot'?"

"I am sure you probably recall that name is given to another comic book character. I believe it is Marvel you must speak to again."

"Oh, yeah," Alfred said with another pout. He didn't pay attention to his surroundings as they hurried off. "'Strongman'?" The sigh from his hero gave him his answer. "'Mr. Strong'?"

"They both sound rather clichéd."

"Hmm..." Alfred mused – he had run out of ideas. He thought to his comics and glanced at the Gentleman. A surprised look crossed his face, his overly excited brain finally catching up on his companion's part of the conversation. Had the hero just talked about fictional heroes to Alfred? Deciding to test the waters, he suggested a new name. "What about 'The Flash'?" Getting no answer, Alfred probed again. "'Green Lantern'?"

"You are doing this deliberately..." said the other. Alfred grinned.

"Well, then: 'Star Spangled Guy'? Nah, that sounds kinda stupid. 'Badass Banner'." "We're here," the Gentleman interrupted him.

Alfred looked up at the tall glass building in front of him. There was a large logo above the front doors. LBJ. The young American frowned: he wasn't familiar with that logo. And, if this was really the headquarters for the heroes, he must have been fighting to stay conscious if he hadn't seen it the last time he was there. They entered and the hero led him to the elevator. After riding it up, they entered the headquarters. The heroes were waiting for them – and none of them had their masks on. Alfred froze and had to be pulled through the elevator doors by the Gentleman.

"F-Francis?" asked the stunned American, taking in his clothes. Or, rather, lack of them as he was wearing the Rose's 'costume'. The Frenchman winked at him but didn't say anything as Alfred's attention shifted. "Kiku?!" he exclaimed, spotting him wearing the Ninja's costume. "Y-You-!" Other people he had met recently were all waving at him or smiling sheepishly or, in the case of Feli, bouncing on the balls of their feet saying, "Ve, ve!"

"What is his power?" asked Ludwig, getting down to business. He gestured with his Orakel's mask to the couches and began to make his way to them. The Gentleman had to tug Alfred forward to get him there even as he answered.

"Super strength, I suppose," he told them, taking off his top hat. "He lifted a fridge-freezer and threw it without so much as a second thought. In fact, he didn't even notice." The hero guided Alfred to the couch and gently pushed him into the cushions. He sat opposite him, placing his hat beside him. Alfred's breath caught in his throat as he leaned forward slightly in anticipation. Did he know The Gentleman, too. However, the mysterious man kept his mask on and gazed back at him.

"Should we explain?" asked Matthew, raising his hand hesitantly.

"Oui. Mais... Who should tell him?" asked Francis.

"Alfred," said The Gentleman, ignoring the others. "You are an orphan."

His excitement vanished as he remembered what had happened two nights ago. "Yeah... I know," he muttered. Was this the hero's way of telling him to calm down?

"No. You don't," said The Gentleman. "You have always been an orphan. Since you were a baby."

"What're you talking about?!" exclaimed Alfred with a laugh. "I've lived with my par-"

"They were not your parents, Alfred-kun," said Kiku quietly, looking at him seriously.

"We are all orphans here, mon ami," said Francis. His mouth smiled but his eyes carried a heavy sadness.

"What? What are you talking about?"

The Gentleman took a breath. "When we were young, we were all in the same orphanage. As far as we know, two months after all us were gathered, a couple of scientists showed up and asked to take us. They said the experiments were safe. Just a behavioural experiment. They would take care of us. So they took us away to a secure location."

"This sounds like something from a movie," interrupted Alfred.

A click of The Gentleman's tongue caused Alfred to quiet down. The masked man continued his story. "They experimented on us. Fed us things. Radiated us. Gave the babies doctored milk. As far as any one of us can remember, it was traumatic. But, mostly, we do not remember – except in our dreams. Finally, though, the scientist couple developed a conscience. However, they could not stop their employers. So they escaped, taking a child with them, one of a set of twins. They were unable to save both.

"That child, Alfred, was you. You had already been experimented on but your adoptive parents raised you as their own. Which, considering their own conditions from having worked in those labs for so long, was easy to do. They could not have children of their own so you were theirs. And, even if they were not your biological parents, they were certainly better than a laboratory."

Alfred stared at him. "A... twin...?" he managed to say. His eyes widened and he glanced at Matthew. The Canadian looked sheepish but he smiled shyly at Alfred. "Matthew? Matthew's my brother?"

Everyone nodded and Matthew leaned across Francis to hold out his hand. "Eh. Hi," he said with a small smile.

The American hesitated for a moment, wrestling with what he was hearing. His parents weren't his real parents? He had been experimented on? He had a twin brother? He had an inkling that he should be devastated – his parents had lied to him and then had died without confessing. But he couldn't wrap his brain around this new information. Instead he broke into a grin. He grabbed Mattie's hand and pulled him towards him so that he was hugging him over Francis' lap. The Frenchman seemed amused; Matthew was less so.

"E-Eh?" he murmured, confused.

"A brother! That's so cool!" exclaimed Alfred. "I totally need to teach you how to be American!"

Someone cleared their throat and Alfred glanced round to see The Gentleman looking impatient. Had he not finished his story? Alfred let go of his twin and sat up, attentively gazing at the only masked person in the room.

"After you were taken away, Alfred," said The Gentleman, "the project, whatever its true objective, was abandoned and people were encouraged to adopt us. We dispersed throughout the world, unaware of where we had come from. Eventually, though, events produced rather strange reactions. Whenever one of us had a traumatic experience, it was as though one had unlocked something within us. Our powers manifested and we became what we are now. One by one, we began to investigate our past and, eventually, we were drawn here. Even Ivan- Ah, I'm sorry. Even The Big Freeze, The Shadower and Edwina Scissorhands were with us in that laboratory.

Alfred perked up, interested. These were the villains who had killed his parents. "You're not going to let them get away with it, are you? You'll catch them, right? And you'll let me help, won't you? I won't be so easy to get hurt this time!"

"Are you referring to those 'villains' or are you referring to the people who killed your parents?" asked The Gentleman, calmly.

"Well... Aren't they one in the same?"

"Which one of them had the ability to create an explosion of that magnitude?"

After thinking for a moment, Alfred realised what his hero was getting at. "There... There was someone else? But... Weren't they going to kill them?"

"Did you hear them threaten your parents with that option?"

"N-No... But... Who else could it be?"

"You remember that I said those scientists were experimenting on us? The experiments were never finished and we have no idea what they wanted. However, something like our powers cannot be anything but a profitable outcome. They must want to document it. Find us. Take us away and experiment on us more. But your parents... They were a loose end. And so..."

"But... They- Did they know?"

"Probably. As I hear it, they avoided the sciences in their chosen professions. A businessman and a secretary, yes? And they made sure to stay within the suburbs. Their first trip to the city and they were spotted..."

"Then how are we going to find who did this?"

"Well... I think Ivan has a better idea of who was behind this and how to find them. That's The Big Freeze to you."

"You're going to ask a villain for help?! But- But he's evil!"

"I would not say that..."

"Kesesese!" exclaimed Birdman who happened to be Gilbert. "Ivan is not exactly evil, Al. He is just doing what he pleases with his powers, ja? He is like... Like the... Antiheld."

"Huh?"

"The anti-hero," explained Matthew, helpfully. "He isn't exactly evil, but not exactly good either. He'll help us when he wants to. Though, usually, anti-heroes are forced into helping people. You know... Like... Um..." He glanced at The Gentleman for help.

"I suppose... Like Gabriel from Supernatural? Although, maybe 'anti-hero' is the wrong term... He does not work with us often, though, so we usually end up fighting him. I suppose it's a good cover for him when the need arises – he can claim that he is an enemy instead of on our side. When he is, anyway."

"Oh!" said Alfred in understanding. "But... is he really like that? I mean... He always seems so happy causing chaos."

"His... trauma... was rather prolonged," said Francis. "He had an abusive family who hurt him and his sisters. He ended up freeing them – by..." The Frenchman trailed off, glancing round.

Ludwig took over. "He killed his parents. That was when he discovered his powers."

Alfred's eyes widened. "Oh my God..." he breathed, shivering.

"Regardless," said The Gentleman, "we need his help. So you will have to accept this – do _try_ not to argue with him, please."

Rolling his eyes, Alfred shrugged. "Sure, whatever. Wait," he added, realising what this meant. "I'll really be able to team up with you?!" His excitement returned tenfold and he grinned at the British hero.

"Well... Yes," the hero replied.

"Yahoo!" exclaimed Alfred, throwing his arms in the air. The heroes looked at him in a mixture of disbelief and worry.

* * *

The Gentleman had to wait patiently for Alfred whilst he chattered to the other heroes and bonded with his brother. One of the heroes, Elizaveta, assured Alfred that she would make a costume for him and drop it off at some point. Since she could shapeshift into animals, she asked him to keep a window partially opened so she could fly in with it. Alfred agreed readily. He found Antonio and Lovino in a corner. Apparently, they had powers, too. Antonio's was to make plants grow to their full extent, making his tomatoes more plump and far juicier. Lovino's was to do with water but he seemed a little antisocial so Alfred gave up on coaxing out a demonstration. It seemed, though, that they were more suited to being heroes in agriculture than a hero of a city. Though, Alfred added to himself, they would be handy if a zombie apocalypse ever occurred.

Finally, he bounded over to The Gentleman who had agreed to take the young American home so that he could process everything he had just been told. Once again, The Gentleman took his arm and led him back out of the building. Alfred was too busy chattering about what had just happened to notice the passing streets. He was only aware of his surroundings when they stopped in front of his door. He unlocked it and led the way in, still talking to the hero who seemed to feel obliged to enter, closing the door behind him.

"I really hope Elizaveta makes my costume with red, white and blue. It'd be cool to dress as Captain America but I guess that's copyrighted. And I wouldn't get my own name – people would just call me Captain America."

"Yes..." said The Gentleman. "Are... Are you all right, Alfred?"

Alfred blinked at the sudden question. "Yeah. Why?"

"Well, it's just... You have been chattering non-stop since you found out about your powers and the heroes – yet, when I told you about your parents' past and our past, you did not bat an eye."

The new hero shifted uncomfortably, moving away from the Brit. "I... Well, I just..." He cast around for a change of topic – he didn't want to think about his parents too much in case he broke down in front of this interesting man. A sudden thought struck him and he flapped his arms excitedly, his parents momentarily forgotten. "Hey, hey! I have to ask you a question since you saved me last night! That was our deal!"

The Gentleman frowned. "Well, what would you like to know?"

"Why haven't you taken off your mask yet?" asked Alfred without hesitation. It had been bugging him for a while but he had pushed it to the back of his mind and concentrated on the fun stuff.

Twirling his top hat in his hands, The Gentleman looked down at his feet. "No... No particular reason. Just... Well... I expect you will be rather upset with me. I believe you think me amazing. But the person behind the mask... I doubt you will find them thus so."

"I'm sure I won't care! Let me see!"

Once again, The Gentleman hesitated before shaking his head. "No. I think it would be best to leave you to grieve for your... adoptive parents."

Alfred felt as though something had struck his heart, bringing with it a fresh wave of sorrow and guilt. He had pushed their deaths to the back of his mind and, with the hero's words, he was shown to be unfeeling. The young man glanced away as tears obstructed his vision. He refused to let them fall though. But The Gentleman had already turned away and, with a gasp, Alfred grabbed his arm. "No! Wait! Don't go – don't leave me!"

Looking back at Alfred, The Gentleman appeared hesitant, torn between running from him and staying to help him like any good hero should. He extricated his arm and looked at Alfred, a slight frown on his face. "What...?" he began. He soon trailed off, watching Alfred.

"Stay here with me and we can have ice cream!" said Alfred, forcing a grin to his face. It wasn't completely forced, though – the mention of ice cream had cheered him up. Especially now he had an image of flying fridge-freezers. "And you can take off your costume and relax."

"You seem awfully adamant that you want me to take off my mask..." said The Gentleman, still rather reluctant to move.

"Aw, c'mon dude! It's not as if it matters! We're all on the same team – I'm not gonna broadcast your identity to the world."

After a moment's thought and after he had gently placed his hat on the table, The Gentleman slowly reached behind his head and untied his mask. He hesitated again, holding it to his face. "Are... you sure?" he asked, gazing up at Alfred.

Seeing his uncertainty, Alfred grinned and crossed to him. "Don't worry about it, dude!" he said. With that, he gently teased the mask away from the hero and tossed it beside the hat. He stared at the man's face for a moment before stumbling back a step. "A... Ar... thur?"

"See?" said the Brit, frowning. "I knew you would be disappointed." With a scowl, he blinked a few times. Looking closer at those brilliantly green eyes, Alfred realised they were glistening.

"You... But..." Seeing how upset his hero was, Alfred relaxed a little. It was definitely Arthur. He hadn't changed a bit. "How can _you_ be The Gentleman? You're way too..." Alfred searched for the right word to use without angering someone with super powers. "... Proud, I suppose. I didn't think you'd dress up and go around beating people up. Don't you have college work to do?"

Arthur clicked his tongue. "I can do more than one thing – especially with my power. And I have my reasons for becoming a hero."

"Did... Did someone die?" Alfred asked tentatively.

The man's face slowly changed until he was smiling softly. "No. I... wanted to be someone that a certain person would look up to. After all, when I was younger, I used to be a lot more introverted. I thought that I should try to be like my parents even though I was clearly nothing like them and I was obsessed with becoming better. I didn't make friends – what was the point if I moved every few months. But I learned that it was okay to be myself. And I actually mattered to that someone. After all, I was the person who introduced him to heroes and-" Arthur broke off, seemingly realising that he had given away who it was.

Alfred laughed. "Dude! You're still introverted!"

"Do you even know the meaning of the word?" asked Arthur, his tone of disbelief evident.

The American shrugged. "Does it matter? Anyway, do you know if that person looks up to you, then?"

Raising an eyebrow, the unmasked hero looked at Alfred in disbelief. "Well... I seem to have become their favourite hero. Not my attention, I assure you." Alfred grinned – that was good. But the grin was wiped from his face when Arthur continued to speak. "Are you all right, though?" he asked, a worried expression on his face. "I mean," he added hurriedly, "it's not as though I'm particularly worried that you'll be upset for long – you never did have a very good attention span."

Seeing his expression and knowing why he was worried, it all hit Alfred once again and he felt a sob burst from his mouth. The tears he had struggled to keep from The Gentleman began to fall down his cheeks as his eyes widened at his loss of control. He had cried very little in the time since his parents' death but now, in the presence of someone so familiar, he began to openly sob. "Th-They're..." Alarmed, Arthur hurried forward, gathering his American friend into a comforting hug.

* * *

_**Originally, this was going to be two separate chapters with a cliffhanger when he got told about how his parents were dead. But then I realised it was so short. So I basically put two chapters together.  
**_

_**When Arthur promised (as The Gentleman) that Alfred wouldn't be alone on Thanksgiving, he tried to come through on that and he was the person who kept calling and turning up at his door. He didn't walk in cause he wasn't sure whether it wise to bother him while he was grieving.**_

_**Ivan uses his powers to have fun. Yao uses his to gain money. And Natalya uses hers for her brother.**_

_**I have absolutely no idea what Al's superhero name is going to be. **_

_**The image I have of Al's fridge-freezer tossing is rather like Shizuo - with less bone breaking.**_

_**The title is a song title about death, by the by. Google is a wonderful thing.**_

_**I think that's all I need to say. Sorry for how long it took to write this. Sorry for the confusing conversation. Sorry for... anything else, I suppose.**_


End file.
